Waking Up in Vegas
by xthesebonesx
Summary: The morning after a one-night stand, Stefan and Caroline find themselves deep within the consequences of a mistake that led them to the altar, despite the fact that they haven't seen or even spoken to each other in years. But what if this marriage can actually benefit them both? Will they be able to remain Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore with absolutely no strings attached, at all? AU.
1. Waking Up in Vegas

**Waking Up in Vegas**

**A/N: I literally have not written anything Steroline in AGES and I am so happy to finally be back at it. **

"_Can we take shots of something that _won't_ burn when it goes all the way down? It's nice that we're being 'kick-ass' and 'crazy' women and all, it'd be even better if I didn't accidentally singe my tongue off each time I had a bit of alcohol; it tastes like I'm drinking _fire."

Caroline Forbes, Bonnie Bennett, and Elena Gilbert all laughed in unison, as their best—_and decisively troubled—_friend, Rebekah Mikaelson, threw back a late shot of whiskey. Her face upturned in disgust before she chased it with her Red Bull and Vodka and slammed the empty shot glass on the table.

Her eyes widened in question when three girls stared at her simultaneously; she straightened up in her chair and glared right back.

"_Can I help you?"_

"Yes, you can as a matter of fact," Caroline spoke up as she raised her hand at the bar to order another shot. "You can _stop _complaining about everything and just accept the fact that you're in _Las Vegas, _and shots of strong, funky, _not tasteful things _are what people do because it's fun and a once in a lifetime experience!" she said enthusiastically, as Rebekah rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Besides—we are here to celebrate _Elena's _graduation from P.A school; we have to make the best of it before she gets a job or a hot athlete boyfriend and we never see her again," she added, as she gave the brunette a pat on the shoulder while she laughed.

"My job _will _be my boyfriend," Elena chimed in, as she sipped her Patron margarita. "After Ben, I am _dying _to stay single for as long as I possibly can, so I can focus on myself. And I don't think any of us _want _to find a _Vegas Guy, _do we? I mean—what happens here is supposed to _stay here."_

"Can we toast to that, actually?" Bonnie asked, as the bartender at the trendy Nevada spot slid four more shots across the granite bar, and she grabbed hers easily; immediately holding it in the air. "Because I _don't _trust _any _of you not to bring any riff-raff back to the suite and to be quite honest, I probably _will _judge you a little bit even if the decision was made with your vodka-goggles on."

Caroline and the other girls laughed, but tilted their glasses in towards one another and tapped them before meeting each other's eyes.

"_No riff-raff."_

Caroline swallowed her helping down and breathed out a sigh, as she looked around the lounge. She knew that this was more of a "reserved" place for the strip, but there just weren't enough people dancing, for her tastes.

The crowd was mostly 30+ year old businessmen; just having a few drinks and kicking back as they sat in the club's V.I.P. And for a 25 year old girl from a small town called Mystic Falls in Virginia, this type of quiet just wouldn't cut it. Where _she _was from, there was one bar and it doubled as a restaurant as well. And despite those dire circumstances, she always found a way to get down and make it fun.

And now that she was in _Sin City, _itself—the goddamn _Dance Capital _of the United States of America—she was gonna do just that; she was going to dance.

She believed it was just about time to get this party started.

"Where are you going?" Caroline heard, as she hopped up in her cherry red Christian Louboutin heels, and climbed on top of the bar with ease.

She looked down to her three best friends, who were staring at her madly, before she fluffed her long blonde curls and planted both hands on her hips. She sent them a devious smile.

"What the hell does it look like I'm doing? I'm dancing!" Caroline said, as Bonnie's eyes widened with mortification, Elena let out a short laugh, and Rebekah rolled her eyes. "You can sit there and watch but I'm having _fun_; we came here to have _the time of our lives; _not to sit around and wait for the party to come to _us."_

Caroline began to clap her hands in tune with the house song that was blasting from the DJ system, and she noticed a change in the atmosphere as a small crowd began to gather by the bar to watch blonde show them what she was worth.

Caroline smiled knowingly as she moved with the beat to the music; playfully shaking her hair and gliding her hands down the sides of her little beige dress, as the crowd began to liven up and cheer her on.

_Even her three best friends who considered her half past crazy just about a minute ago. They weren't surprised this was working out in her favor at all, because this is who she was._

Caroline was _that girl _who could make anything out of nothing; the girl who would do just what she was doing right now and dance on a bar if nobody else was.

And it wasn't because she was _starved _for attention, or desperate, or lonely; it was because she was full of light and heart. She just had this _energy _about her that strangers admired and her friends—despite their initial nay-saying—adored.

Caroline was the life of the party, each and every single place that she went, and she didn't mind being that way.

_She didn't mind being _her.

Caroline continued to move along the bar with such grace as she noticed the crowd finally starting to pick up the party. She pointed happily at Bonnie, Elena, and Rebekah as the three were now dancing as well—_albeit on the ground—_while the bartender tapped her leg to hand her a bottle to assist with pouring shots.

_She may or may not have poured a few down the mouths of a group of vacationing Wall St. stockbrokers straight from the bottle. She undoubtedly winked their way as well, when she found her feet littered with business cards next to thirty seconds later._

When she'd had enough of re-enacting _Coyote Ugly _as if her life depended upon it, she finally got down, and squealed happily as she grabbed the other girls' hands and joined them on the dance floor.

_This _was more like it.

Caroline shut her eyes as she moved to the music; letting it completely drown and consume her, as the bass thumped through her chest and the beats danced in her ears.

This was as close to heaven as she could be, after all that she had been through this year. And in this moment, there wasn't a thing that could shake her out of the luminosity of it all.

_Unless, you know, you were a total stranger that she accidentally attacked with an elbow as she was in the middle of raising her hands to the skies._

"_Fuck!"_ she heard him yell over the music and she immediately turned around to apologize, as she was met with a raven-haired, blue-eyed, hunk-from-the-high-heavens, who was rubbing his palm over his face in pain before she clasped both hands over her mouth tightly.

"I am _so _sorry!" Caroline exclaimed, as she placed both hands to the shoulders of his suit jacket. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine; partially blind, but it's cool—I have good insurance," he said, as Caroline let out an apologetic smile at that; he was blinking his _good eye _profusely and wiping away the inevitable water that was collecting beneath his bottom lashes on the other.

_Thank god for that health insurance._

"Well that's good," she nodded, as he was still busy with fixing himself, while the crowd became even fuller and the dance floor more crowded. "I'm kind of just a blogger, and I don't _really _have benefits, so—"she began to babble, and then stopped when his eyes narrowed and he completely looked into hers.

She definitely knew this guy from somewhere; but _how?_

"Do I… know you?" Caroline asked, as she stared the mystery man in the face and he easily shrugged his shoulders as he straightened his tie and stepped in closer.

"Good question—_a lot _of ladies know me… Just depends on how well," he winked.

Caroline scoffed at that and folded her arms.

"No not _that _way… I think," she said, as she continued to observe him, and his dark brow lifted a bit. "Look, I _know _I've seenyou somewhere but I—"

"_Damon, what the hell," _they heard, and Caroline looked over the man's shoulder to see another approaching; her eyes widening instantly when he made his way his way through the crowd and to _Damon—_the man standing right before her.

_Holy hell, what were the chances?_

"Stefan?" Caroline asked, as the guy stopped and his eyes set on hers. "_Stefan Salvatore?"_

"Caroline Forbes, is that you?" he asked, and her cheeks immediately lit up in a smile, as the caramel-haired man stepped in for a hug and she graciously wrapped her arms around his toned shoulders.

She laughed in disbelief when they finally parted, and the gleam in his olive eyes shone so brightly, she felt like she had just taken a dip on a rollercoaster.

_After all of this time, she still felt that; he could still make her grin like a little kid._

"How are you?" she asked, while her eyes subtlety outlined his jaw with her gaze and traced her stare over his suit-clad body. "And what are you doing in Vegas? I thought you lived in New York?"

"I do—I am still in New York," he nodded, as he looked into her eyes and offered a genuine smile. "Living with my brother, Damon here, in Lower Manhattan. We're here celebrating his birthday when he doesn't run off and get lost," Stefan said as he faced his sibling and Damon rolled his eyes.

"And how many times do I have to tell you; I'm a _big boy, _Steffy," he said, as he patted his shoulder. "Speaking of—"he glanced at Caroline's friends who had finally ceased their dancing and were slowing migrating to the conversation between she and the Salvatores. "_Hello, ladies," _Damon smirked.

Caroline motioned for the three to come in more and she politely introduced everyone to one another; though Damon insisted on kissing everyone's hands, like the _charming devil _Stefan had always preached him to be. Caroline finally remembered where she had seen him before; in pictures at Stefan's apartment back in their journalism interning days in Washington, D.C.

She was instantly reminded of a flood of memory and nostalgia when she thought back to that time three years ago; the brief three months when she had gotten to know Stefan Salvatore, and until this day, she never completely shook him.

_He was the one that got away._

"So what do say?" Stefan's voice broke her thoughts, and she looked up into his eyes as he wore an easy smile. "Damon and I are actually gonna hit the strip and bunch more clubs that we've been hearing about. He's got some connections and apparently can get us into the _Deadmau5 _show," Stefan said and Rebekah bluntly chimed into the conversation.

"_You _can get us into _Deadmau5?" _she asked with wide eyes and a hopeful glare. "We were about ready to sell our souls for that show."

"Well, you're in luck," Damon said as the girls began to follow he and Stefan out of the lounge and onto the strip, where the night had finally fallen and they watched the flashy lights and neon signs that gave the illusion of the day. "Entertainment Law is what I do and I'd consider it a crime if I didn't put myself to good use."

"Let's get to it, then. I have a lot more dancing to do and I could go for a few more drinks as well," Bonnie said, as she adjusted her wine red dress as they walked, and Damon not-so-subtly gave her the up and down. "And _don't _look at me like that," she quipped.

Damon smirked at her sass, before sliding a cigarette out of his pack and placing it in-between his lips.

"_I'll try my best, _sweetheart,_"_ he promised weakly.

Caroline grinned at the banter between the two, before she felt Elena tug at her hand and pull her back a little, while Rebekah chatted up Stefan and Bonnie gave Damon a generous helping of the _Bennett Offensive. _

Elena slid her arm through Caroline's comfortably as the two walked and she lowered her voice to a near whisper.

"So, that's _the Stefan Salvatore, _who had you all tongue-tied and head over heels while you were away? He's even better looking in person, Care," she said and Caroline immediately blushed, as she quickly shook her head to shake the change in color to her pale skin. "Does he know you had a crush on him?"

"If he didn't, I'm sure he does _now; _what, with you guys all giving him the googly eyes," she said as Elena laughed heartily. "Seriously; _don't _make it obvious at the show and don't just _ditch me _with him. He's a friend—even though I haven't seen or spoken to him in ages—and he probably has a girlfriend. I mean, why wouldn't he?" she asked rhetorically, as her eyes wandered over to the Younger Salvatore and he was laughing imaginatively at whatever was plaguing Rebekah now.

She sighed when she felt the feeling in her stomach expanding, as he tucked his hands into his pockets and the faint trace of his voice filled her ears over the sound of the crowd.

_Stefan Fucking Salvatore, and that completely ridiculous way he had about him where he could make her insides flip, without even looking at her at all. She felt like she was 22 years old, all over again._

"But what if he doesn't?" Elena asked, as Caroline turned to meet her pretty, russet doe-eyes. "What if this is _fate _telling you that here's your chance to _maybe _start something that you couldn't before?... And I mean, with Klaus out of the picture, now—"

"Can we _not _talk about him?" she asked abruptly. "_Seriously. _You all just need to _stop _bringing him up."

Elena pressed her lips into a thin line and Caroline breathed as she looked forward; listening to only the sound of her clicking heels against the pavement.

It was like everyone was expecting her to fall apart—_every single moment of the day_—because of him, and she just couldn't take it anymore. Sure, she'd avoided the entire "grieving their break-up process," by busying herself with working, vacations, Girl's Nights, and literally _anything _that kept her from being alone for too long with enough time to think about _him, _but so what?

She was doing what she could to be happy and if that meant acting like he never existed, then so be it.

It'd been six months and she was feeling and looking better than ever before; and now she was in Vegas with her best friends, while catching up with an old one.

_What more could she ask for?_

"I just want to enjoy tonight," Caroline said, as they neared the club and she watched Damon walk up to the bouncer, whisper in his ear, and the man nodded affirmatively before motioning for the group to come in. "No awkwardness, No Klaus, _no bad memories. _I know you all just want to help me move forward by opening up but… I don't want to. I'm _fine. _Really."

"Okay," Elena said, as they walked up—sticking out their hands to be stamped, before they were ushered into the massive night club that was most definitely blaring some electro, as the light show went on and the crowd went wild. "We're gonna just have fun; uninhibited, stress-free, _crazy fun."_

Caroline smiled at that as Elena squeezed her hand, and they were met with a smiling Stefan, as he walked over towards them and Caroline felt her soul alight.

"You guys coming? Damon's getting a table in V.I.P; Bonnie and Rebekah went with him. We can—"

"Dance?" Caroline suggested, as she already began to get into the groove with the music and Stefan watched on. "I don't want to sit—not yet."

"So we won't," Elena said, as she took Caroline by the hand and began to move as well. "And I guess Stefan can watch—"

"Stefan can _party," _he cut in with a grin, as he took both of their hands into his own and seized them both as partners. "Don't tempt me—I've got a _really mean _two-step."

"So I've seen," Caroline informed, as she remembered the late DC nights when she and Stefan went out with the other interns on the town. "I can only hope you've upgraded since then."

Stefan spun Caroline into his arms as her back landed to his chest, and the two proceeded to dance more closely than they ever had in the past, when his palm landed on her hip. Caroline tried to show no sign of her heart's obvious palpitating, and Stefan moved in a bit closer towards her ear before he spoke loudly enough for just her to hear.

"I don't know, Caroline—you tell me."

_She'd be telling him a lot more by the end of the night if he honestly kept that up._

XXXXX

_Caroline Forbes hadn't ever considered herself a "speed demon," in this or the previous life; but when she slammed Stefan Salvatore against the door to his suite and tugged at his lip with her teeth while he half-assed his way through his pocket for his room key, she was just about ready to change her name to Usain Bolt. Because things were moving fast and right now? They had no intentions of slowing down._

"It's here somewhere," he mumbled between kisses, and she answered incoherently, as her hands were already busy pulling his belt through the loops, though they were standing _right there _in the hallway in front of his room at the Cesar Palace.

_Oops. _

When Stefan finally slid the card through the reader and the door to the darkened room pushed open, the two nearly tumbled to the rug, as she threw the belt to the floor, and Stefan ripped Caroline's dress over her head like it was made of newspaper.

Their kisses led them to his bedroom, where he landed back first against the king sized mattress, with Caroline already on top of him in no time, without any effort at all.

Her fingers ran through his caramel brown hair, and her mouth emitted a small moan when Stefan's lips swallowed her at the neck and his hands eased over her navy blue bra.

Caroline's eyes snapped shut and she smiled faintly while her hands traced over his muscled arms just before pulling his tie off and fumbling with the buttons on his shirt.

She wasn't exactly a stranger to getting what—or who—she wanted, but with Stefan? It was different. Caroline had always been independent, self-assured, and in-control when it came to her life. She didn't know how to be a "girl with a crush," for guys were usually the ones to seek _her _out and to try to get her on their team by any means necessary.

But not Stefan.

Stefan simply befriended her, with zero expectations, and up until now, the two never shared anything that outside of being platonic simply because in all of the three months they spent together in DC, he never even tried to take it there. Caroline was his friend; his bud away from home. And though she'd always had a bit of a crush on him, it wasn't until now that he was seemingly returning it—as the two got perhaps a bit more drunk than they should have at the concert, ditched everyone else, and came back here to his suite to finish what they couldn't stop on the dance floor.

She'd waited three years for this, she realized, as she helped Stefan out of his pants and tossed them on the floor, but it was worth it.

_He was worth it. Stefan Salvatore was like striking pure gold. And right now, she considered herself a fucking millionaire._

"Do you have a—" she started and didn't even finish her sentence as Stefan's hand pulled away from the night table and he flashed the metallic wrapper between his fingers as she grinned. "_Bingo."_

Caroline let out a deep sigh when Stefan finally rolled her beneath him and his mouth began to travel down from her face, to her neck, to her chest, before it hovered over her stomach. Her fingers grabbed his locks tightly while his tongue made swirls against her skin and when her thighs tightened she reached forward to finally remove her heels.

He pushed her back against the pillow by the shoulders with an endearing smirk that could have made Joseph Stalin blush, himself.

He climbed over her and tore to package to the condom open with his teeth while she watched in gentle awe at just how _sexy _he could be.

_Not that she doubted him, or anything. It was just that the Stefan she knew was no nice; so calm, so collected._

And right now, he was a sex god. A pure, absolute, and untamed sex _machine._

"I think you'd better leave those on," Stefan suggested as he eyed her cherry red heels and Caroline shyly bit her lip. "They look _really _good on you."

Caroline smirked at that when she looked up into his olive green eyes and pulled his face down further to meet hers; the soft expels of his breath hitting her lips as they stared into one another's eyes.

Her heart was positively _pounding._

"_You _look really good on me… Still wondering what you'd _feel _like, though."

Stefan looked slightly surprised—but intrigued—by that, as he ran his palm slowly down her leg. Her chest heaved silently when she felt the goose bumps rising on her skin before he leaned in close to her mouth to kiss her again—but instead, detoured to her ear; delighting her with just a few simple words.

"_I think I can take care of that right now, if you want."_

"Yes," Caroline nodded.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, _please,_" the blonde smiled.

Caroline immediately ate her words the minute Stefan pushed inside and her body tightened while her nails instantly dug into his back so roughly, it was probably going to look like he was a part of a modern day Fight Club when all of this was over. His eyes looked down into hers and Caroline let out a sigh at the euphoric feeling that overtook her body the moment he finally obliged her.

He moved slowly—but assuredly—with this unmatched force that she hadn't quite felt before, in all of her life. As his hands gradually held onto hers before pinning them above her head, Caroline could do nothing but bask in the bliss of _finally _getting all that she had asked for. And then some.

A really fantastic hook-up, with a ridiculously hot—_and sweet_—guy that she'd been crushing on forever, in Sin City, on her very last night here.

It was fate and it was perfect; _he _was perfect. And right now, she was convinced that there wasn't anything that could ruin this or the time they shared. Because Stefan Salvatore was all that she wanted.

And right now, this—her back arched, and his lips suctioned to her chest, as he held her within his arms and pushed deeper between her legs—was all that she needed to forget about the reality of her blasé life back in a small Virginia town, where nothing happened and things were never interesting.

Caroline employed all of her strength and finally pushed Stefan beneath her—much to his surprise—as she cupped him around the cheeks he continued to vanquish her—in and out—though he had to work _much _harder this time to get what he wanted, while she was on top.

He didn't mind. And it was clear she didn't either, the moment her fingers grasped him at the hair and she moaned his name onto his lips, before vowing that they go another round—or three—to which he quickly obliged, before slamming her beneath him again.

All night it was, and so it would be, if Miss Caroline Forbes wanted that.

_What could possibly go wrong?_

XXXXX

_If Caroline had to rate the intensity of her hangover from a scale of one to ten, the moment she stirred softly beneath the morning sunlight was an 8; the moment she regained consciousness was a 80._

To say "things escalated quickly" was quite literally an understatement.

Caroline groaned—head _pounding—_ as she finally sat up against a pillow and swallowed hard when she recognized the face and the shape of the body lying beside her.

_Stefan Fucking Salvatore._

Her hands tightened and her eyes widened—_no, she actually didn't._

_Did she?_

Caroline glanced down at her body and when she saw she was naked from the neck down, she quickly wrapped the blanket over her chest. She caught eye of her dress on the floor and she groaned before pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head at her _excruciating _headache.

_Fuck._

She wasn't sure how she'd managed this last night but right now, she was beyond embarrassed about it; and she was anxious beyond belief.

Stefan was hot, for sure, but she didn't _mean _to hook-up with him in their drunken state of debauchery and the minute he woke up, she was sure he was going to regret it. Because that's who Stefan was; a "nice guy" who may have been ridiculously hot with just about everything under the goddamn sun going for him, but none of that came without his Achilles Heel—his _guilt._

She'd known that guilt well, back when they interned with one another, and Stefan spent so much time telling her about everything _wrong _he'd done in his life, instead of acknowledging the good. Like the fact that he was a smoking hot, twenty-something year old graduate from Harvard, who was not only the valedictorian of his graduating class, but captain of the Harvard Polo Club, and son of two of New York's wealthiest socialites to even exist this _century. _

And on top of his fame and riches—he was _kind. _He visited places she'd never heard of and saw things she could never imagine through his humanitarian work and still, he believed he was never doing enough.

He could have actually doubled for Jesus Christ himself, sometimes.

The longer she stared at him, Caroline knew the _real _reason she never went for a guy like Stefan, and it as because she wasn't "good enough" for him. She was a small spec in the sea of things, next to this Moby Dick and as much as she would have loved for their night after to consist of cuddling and coffee, she knew better than to expect anything from that from a guy like him.

A guy who was totally and completely out of her league, when he wasn't on an alcoholic and Las Vegas induced high.

Caroline breathed deeply as she watched the shirtless man snoring against the bed and she slowly eased out from beneath the sheets and placed her bare feet on the ground.

She was never one for sleeping and dashing, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And looking at the clock—9 AM—she had a plane to catch in three hours. Maybe she'd send Stefan an apology card for having sex with him, or whatever people did when they found themselves in these situations, she figured, as she pulled on her clothes and thought the situation out, while trying not to quiver as she slightly remembered the feeling of his hands on her throat and his tongue dancing along her chest.

_Gulp._

But it was time to leave—_now._

She couldn't bother to be faced with the humiliation that would run apparent on his face the minute he opened his eyes and realized he'd had sex with her—_the blonde he interned with who was still doing little to nothing with her life in some Podunk town in Virginia while he clearly moved onto bigger and better things, despite his momentary sex relapse with her_. He was better off waking up alone. And she was better off pretending like this never even happened.

"_Ahem," _Caroline heard and she nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned around and faced the door to find Damon staring at her with his arms folded over his black t-shirt and his blue eyes gleaming all the while before he smirked and Caroline's mortification began to bubble within her veins. "Leaving so soon?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," she noted, as she quickly adjusted her clothing and made her way over to the mirror. "It's been fun, I guess—"

"I'm sure it was… I _regrettably _heard everything," Damon said and Caroline's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I mean, this suite is _big, _but not _that big._"

"Right," Caroline breathed as she picked up a brush and started combing through her locks. "I forgot—Stefan did kind of mention your room was across the hall when we were…" she stopped talking as Damon furrowed his brows and she smiled nervously before finally looking into his eyes. "I need to stop talking. I have a plane to catch."

"Hm," Damon said before disappearing and leaving Caroline, as she continued stroking her locks and desperately trying to touch herself up, as her eyeliner was running and her lipstick completely dried against her lips.

She looked a hot _mess. _Why didn't she pack an overnight bag before coming over here? Had she really been that horny? If Stefan's Achilles ' heel was his guilt, hers was her propensity for rushing into every single thing _ever, _no matter the consequences of her actions the following day.

She hated it about herself—because it was like she was so impulsive she didn't _think, _and when she didn't think, she did stupid—but sexually satisfying things—like screwing guys she was _really _into, thus ruining any prospects of them actually taking her seriously or as "girlfriend material" because that was what guys did, right? Wrote you off as soon as you fucked them?

"Looks like I'll be doing the Walk of Shame," she muttered beneath her breath, when she set the brush down and glanced at Stefan one more time before making a move to vacate his room—only to be stopped by Damon, _again._

This time, with a cup of steaming coffee in his hand, outstretched to her, with that devious and infamous smile of his own.

Caroline huffed as she glanced down at it before taking it into her hand and Damon eyed her observingly as she took a tentative sip and sighed against the ceramic as the hot liquid slid down her throat.

Even the _coffee _in this suite was better than theirs at the Hard Rock.

"Thank you," Caroline said meekly as the two walked into the living room, where Damon gestured to the couch before he swiped a few things off of the breakfast cart and put them on a plate for her, before handing them her way.

Caroline's brows rose at the hospitality.

"It's not a Walk of Shame if you get food before you go… Think of it as a Get Laid Parade."

Caroline snorted at that as she bit into the chocolate chip muffin on her platter and took a sip of her coffee before placing on the night table at her knees.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Damon didn't respond to that as he sipped his coffee black and she continued to eat her breakfast—wondering just what kind of text messages were on her cell phone from her best friend's about her scandalous night out while they all stayed at the concert and behaved themselves—more or less.

She loved her friends, but they had a knack for hating every single one of her decisions and after what she did last night, she was beginning to think they were onto something. After all, they'd all predicted that Klaus—Rebekah's _brother_—was going to be a bad idea but it wasn't like she listened before diving head first into a relationship with him, and then finding herself heartbroken a year later when he ended things with her because there was someone new in his life.

Rebekah warned her about getting involved with a Mikaelson and stupidly, she did it anyway—because she thought she'd be different.

She thought he'd be different _for her, _but he never really was. Because he didn't really care. And it was more and more depressing the times she let herself think about it, so she didn't.

She needed to mentally block out Klaus and her pain. And she needed to get the hell out of this hotel site before Stefan woke up.

"Thanks for breakfast but I have to go," Caroline said as she ungracefully made it to her feet and shoved the rest of the muffin in her mouth before downing her now mildly hot coffee. "I have a flight to catch—I need to pack—"

"_Caroline," _she heard and she swallowed hard when she turned around to see Stefan now standing in the living room—tiredness on his face and a giant hickey on his neck as he pulled on a t-shirt over his bare chest and took another step in before eyeing his brother. "Damon—what are you doing up?"

Damon smiled gently as he looked into his brother's olive eyes before shrugging lightly and taking the last sip of his coffee before standing up from the arm of the couch and never letting his eyes drop between the two.

Damon was acting _weird; _weirder than usual, even for him, and though Stefan would have liked to believe that he was feeding Caroline and keeping her company out of the goodness of his heart after her rendezvous with him last night, he knew better.

Damon was up to something; he just had no idea what. He honestly didn't even wanna know, but if he went into this blindly, it would 10 times out of 10 bite him in the ass later. It always did. It was better to be on the knowing side of Damon's scheming rather than having to deal with the aftermath.

"Nothing, _Steffy, _why do you think I did anything? Why are you so quick to assume the worst, too?"

"Because you _are _the worst," Stefan answered sourly before turning to face Caroline with a nervous smile that she was sure was riddled with regret _deep down _there somewhere, behind all the charm.

It always was.

"You're leaving?" he asked and Caroline nodded quickly as she folded her arms over last night's dress and bit her lip softly while she looked into his eyes and shrugged a shoulder.

"Yeah, I just—I have a flight. And my friends are probably worried, you know… I should be packing—"

"I understand," Stefan said softly as he looked into her eyes and she began to walk past him to grab her bag. "At least let me walk you back, you know? So maybe we can talk?" he asked before looking at Damon who was still very tuned into this conversation. _"In private."_

Caroline swallowed hard at that but reluctantly nodded as she looked into his eyes and offered a faded smile across dry lips before mumbling beneath her breath.

"Sure—let me just go get my pocketbook."

"And I'll put on some pants," Stefan noted to which Damon snorted and both parties faced him curiously as he clapped his hands together and garnered their attention.

Stefan damn near rolled his eyes as Damon dramatically took a step in towards the both of them and placed his hands on his hips as his blue eyes wandered and his tongue licked his teeth.

"So, that's it? You're just gonna walk her back and pretend _none _of this happened? Like it was all _nothing?"_

Stefan glanced at Damon with confusion as he met his eyes before lowering his tone as he took a step in towards his brother with furrowed eyes and a tight jaw.

He wasn't in the mood for this now—or _ever._

"Thank you for the concern, Damon, but I think Caroline and I can handle this ourselves without the commentary," he spat lowly as he studied his eyes. "I don't need you guidance or opinion on any of this—so I'd be happier if you just shut your mouth."

Damon snorted at that as he pursed his lips together before looking from Stefan to Caroline, back to Stefan before shaking his slowly and wearing a smile that equally angered and frightened his brother all at once.

What the hell was he so happy about right now? And why? Damon was 27 years old and definitely used to Stefan's behavior when he had a little too much to drink. So why was he making a huge deal out of it now? Why was he acting like this meant more than it actually did to him or Caroline?

"You have _no idea _what you've done, do you?" Damon whispered hotly as he stared into his eyes, to which Stefan frowned and his brother snorted at the confusion in his eyes. "You're _clueless, _aren't you?"

Before Stefan could say a word, he heard Caroline clear her throat meekly and he turned around swiftly to see her eyeing a ring that was placed perfectly on her left ring finger with wide eyes before she looked up at him and he noticed he was wearing one as well.

_What the actual fuck?_

"Damon—" Stefan started and his brother smiled as he winked at two and held up both hands defensively before backing away and towards his room; their looks of horror in tow, as panic filled the air and amusement filled his blue eyes.

"Don't blame me—blame it on the alcohol, Mr. and Mrs. _Salvatore."_

**A/N: Hey everyone! So, yay or nay? I really haven't written any Steroline in soooo long so I apologize if this sucked but if I do continue this story I have a lot of ideas and it will get better. So hold on tight, if you're ready for the ride. ;) What did you think about Stefan and Caroline hooking up and seemingly getting MARRIED at some point in between? I am used to doing semi-canon fics about these two so I am kind of excited to go with something different this time around. Hopefully you're all into it because perhaps I'll do another update very soon if you are? ANYWAY, R&R because I would love to read your predictions on where you think this can/will/should go and thank you so much for taking the time to read this because I really do appreciate it! Take care and until next time!**


	2. Everybody is Someone Else's Secret

**Everybody is Someone Else's Secret**

"We're what?" Stefan and Caroline nearly screamed in unison, as Damon stared at the two smugly as panic marred both of their already shocked faces.

It had only been seconds since Damon informed the two _lust_ birds that their indiscretion in the bedroom wasn't the only plunge they took last night. Apparently, they were _married _and neither Stefan nor Caroline remembered that happening; much less even walking down the aisle, at all.

This had to just be another one of Damon's pranks, Stefan tried to convince himself, as he watched the blue-eyed devil sipping his coffee and smiling while both continued to stare his way.

But the more the seconds passed, the longer they dragged and the longer Damon went without even offering a laugh or a punch line. There was no way in hell this was actually true, though, was it?

"I'm glad you seem to be in a playful mood but cut the shit, Damon," Stefan said hotly as his brother's eyebrow rose. "What really happened last night?"

Damon stared blankly before finally snapping his fingers, as if he's discovered some sudden revelation and Stefan stepped in closer while Caroline glanced between them anxiously- desperate for Damon to just admit he had been joking all along and the ring belonged to him or something.

There had to be an explanation for this; one that didn't require her to be Mrs. Stefan Salvatore.

"You remember something?" Caroline asked hopefully and Damon nodded his head-allowing his shaggy black hair to flop over his brow just before meeting their eyes.

"I do," he said as Stefan folded his arms to hear this. "I think... The correct term for what you two boneheads did is actually called an _elopement. _So much for getting any gifts when you two didn't even make a registry, am I right?"

Stefan nearly plunged at Damon with that-his body only being held back by Caroline as she swiftly grabbed his arm to yank him away when it became apparent that the younger Salvatore was going to swing.

_Well, that escalated quickly._

"Fuck you, Damon," Stefan said angrily as he stared into his brother's blue eyes while his own were stead-fast filling with rage. "I only came here because of your stupid birthday in the first place and all you've done is get us into trouble at every turn we made. And now, you think it's hilarious that I went off and got married? What kind of a brother are you?"

"The _smart _one," Damon snapped as Stefan ticked his jaw and shook his head in disbelief. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't the least bit ironic, I mean—_I'm_ supposed to be the screw up when it comes to us, remember? But this? This is _very _interesting… Especially for a saint like _you._"

"You know what, Damon—"Stefan started again, only to be interrupted by Caroline as she stood between them with her head in her hands.

Were they really having this pissing war? Right now? When there were more important things to discuss?

"Okay, _seriously?_" she nearly shouted as they both shut up immediately and her eyes widened to saucers while the think blonde finally rose her voice and stood her ground. "I'm sorry that you two seem to be fighting or feuding or _whatever, _but I don't have any time for this. Got it? Stefan," she said as she turned to the man and let out a sigh. "This is my fault just as much as it is yours, okay? And because we are adults, we will _fix _this. Pronto… Damon," she said with a bit more bite to her voice as he stared at her curiously and she swallowed hard before looking into his eyes. "Since you've declared yourself the _genius _here and you've also got a _law_ degree, _help us,_" Caroline pleaded as Damon let out a sigh. "What do we have to do to fix this? And please—try to be less of an _asshole _about it, why don't you?"

Damon licked his teeth at that as Caroline's blue eyes continued to drive into his own. This girl clearly wasn't playing any games—_especially _not his.

But that didn't mean he wasn't going to give her _hell _anyway.

"I'm an Entertainment lawyer, Blondie; and while this is _entertaining_, for sure, there isn't a damn thing I can do when it comes to divorcing you morons."

Stefan sighed at that and Caroline inhaled angrily while he kept his stare on hers and she folded her arms over her chest.

The lord was testing her.

"_However,_" Damon lifted a finger as he walked back over to the couch and the two watched him take a seat while kicking his feet up and swiping a newspaper off the table that he opened within his hands. "Nevada law states that two parties who do not believe that their marriage stands on any equal, respectable, or consenting ground _can _file for an annulment, whether they be residents or not, no matter how long they've been confirmed, and it shall be dissolved "ab initio;" which means that the marriage is annulled from the very day on which the marriage took place."

Caroline and Stefan turned to each other for second before he shrugged his shoulders and she pursed her lips slowly—pulling them away with a 'popping' sound. With that, Damon let out a sigh.

"Do you speak in _layman's terms, _or—"

"For a Harvard valedictorian and a blogger you two really are dimwits," Damon rolled his eyes but they remained attentive. "To put it quite simply—get your asses down to an attorney—there's _probably a cheap one hanging around the stupid chapel you got married in, wink wink—_tell them you were drunk, unable to consent, and bam; you can get rid of this entire thing… it'll be like it never even happened."

Stefan's brows furrowed at that as he crossed his arms suspiciously and Caroline cleared her throat as they met each other's eyes again and Damon watched them both.

Could it really be _that _easy to wipe away their mistake?

"How do you know all of this?" Caroline asked as she folded her arms now as well. "I thought you didn't _do _marriages."

"Let's just say I decided to be prepared just in case _I _was the one stupid enough to marry someone I barely even knew, after fucking them shamelessly—_and quite loudly, might I add—_for the entire night before deciding I needed to make them my wife… I was being precautionary. You can both thank me later."

Stefan rolled his eyes at that though he was sure he was blushing a bit, as was Caroline. Were they really even that loud? Damon had a habit of over-exaggerating, to be honest. But even so, they _were _dumb enough to do this in the first place, so maybe he was right after all.

Stefan didn't say anything more to his brother before turning to Caroline and pulling in a deep but nervous breath as he searched her eyes.

The last thing he wanted her to think was that he was running away from this but wasn't she kind of sprinting, too? They just couldn't be _married. _It would never work—_they _would never work.

"So, what do you think? You think we should take care of this right now?"

"I don't see why not," Caroline said optimistically before she looked down at her watch and let out a short groan. "But let's just hope they can make this as fast as the ceremony. I have that flight-"

"Don't worry about that," Stefan said, as he whipped out his iPhone, pressed a few digits and held up the screen to show her a flight. "I can get you on the next one headed towards Mystic Falls as soon as this is all done. My treat."

Caroline nodded thankfully at that and Damon let out a short scoff as he folded his arms over his chest while dropping his paper and looked the blonde in the eyes. She stood at attention.

"Mystic Falls? Really? You live there?"

"That I do," Caroline sighed as she met his curious eyes. "I'm surprised you've heard of it."

"_Barely,_" Damon corrected her as he searched her face and Caroline nodded her head in expectation. "I just know that it's redneck central and has only one bar," he quipped and Caroline scoffed.

Leave it to Damon to directly insult her hometown without even flinching.

"Trust me—if I could afford a Bentley, a house maid, and I had mommy and daddy to take care of me, I still wouldn't want to leave. Mystic Falls is _home. _Who cares if I'm—"

"Poor?" Damon filled in and Stefan finally made a move towards his brother as Caroline snapped her lips shut. "It's humbling—I guess."

"You really need to stop talking," Stefan said to his brother sternly, before he turned to Caroline and shook his head apologetically. "Care, I'm _sorry_—"

"It's fine, Stefan. Really," she said flatly before backing away and pointing behind her. "I'm gonna go get my stuff, head to my hotel and change. And while we're on the topic about my upbringing—"she started as she slipped off the wedding ring and offered a bitter smile. "Take this; do what you want with it. I wouldn't want your brother to think I was a gold digger," Caroline said as she slapped the ring into his hand and turned around to walk away while he swallowed hard. "I'll see you in about an hour?"

"Yeah," Stefan answered as Caroline grabbed her things—including her Christian Louboutin heels that he vaguely remembered her keeping on last night; the ones she confessed to spending _way more than she should have on_—and she high-tailed it out of the room faster than he could even say _see you soon._

When the door slammed, Stefan immediately turned to face his brother; fire in his eyes as Damon smirked smugly and he shook his head angrily all the while. What the hell was his fucking problem?

"Did you really have to say that, Damon? About Caroline being _poor_? You know, she has her own apartment and everything—"

"And what does she pay for rent? Ten dollars and a stack of potatoes?" Damon replied as Stefan felt himself seething. "Get real, baby bro; I was just calling it like I see it. She's just a small-town girl who knows nothing and has nothing—nothing like what you and _I _have, anyway."

Stefan rolled his eyes at that as he began to make his way to his bedroom to grab his things and get ready for a shower. Just because they grew up with a privileged lifestyle didn't mean that they had to be assholes about it. Especially not to someone as sweet as Caroline.

"I'm not having this conversation, Damon. I refuse. Thanks for helping us come with a solution, but you can also fuck off for the way you spoke to her—"

"Why? It was for _your _benefit."

"How? How could you _possibly _insulting my _friend _be for _me?"_

"Because I don't think you and Caroline should just be 'friends;' I think you stay married."

There was a dead silence at that as Stefan spun around to meet Damon's face and is brother rose to his feet quietly while he peered into his eyes.

Did he really just hear that, or…

"You're kidding," Stefan stated as Damon moved in towards him—never dropping his expression that told Stefan he was dead serious.

He was not joking at all.

"I'm not, on the contrary. I… think you should reconsider getting an annulment hen it's obvious that this marriage might work for _you_—"

"You're on drugs! Or something, I just—what the _hell _are you talking about—"

"I'm talking about the fact that you, _Stefan, _are a unemployed post-graduate, living in New York City on the Lower East Side, about to be cut-off from mommy and daddy's financial umbilical cord unless you catch a grip and start growing up," Damon said firmly as Stefan narrowed his eyes. "You think you're all _good _and _noble, _doing all that charity work, and volunteering, and _interning to become a journalist of all things? _Where does that leave you financially once they cut you off? Living off of _me?_" his brother asked and Stefan shook his head.

He'd had this conversation one too many times with his parents—about his supposed "lack of ambition," and it irked him to no end that they all thought he wanted to do _nothing _with his life. He wanted to do everything; he wanted to save children, help the less fortunate, adopt animals—the whole nine.

He just didn't want to do what _they _wanted him to; because he didn't want to be a lawyer like Damon, the CEO of some business like his dad, a corporate shark like his mom—he wanted to be _him. _And because of that, his relationship—and finances—with his family were dwindling.

His parents were no longer going to fund his hippie/philanthropist mentality and they were revoking his trust fund until he got "serious" about life and started planning for the future.

They wanted him to have a career—they also wanted him to find a _wife._

Damon—the lucky bastard—had escaped the pressure by having a "real job" and even the marriage cliché by simply being a playboy and promising that he was on the hunt for one, with each girl he took out on the town. He told his parents every girl was "the one" to get them to leave him alone, and luckily for him, it'd been working—for five fucking years.

Stefan, on the other hand, wasn't a good liar. He didn't date around or often and even with girls that he hooked up with and hung out with afterwards, they never developed into anything more than his friends.

He just hadn't found the _one _yet, and he wasn't willing to settle so early or so soon just to keep getting a paycheck from Giuseppe Salvatore's bank account.

So they were cutting him off—soon. His days were quite literally numbered and he knew for sure that if they caught wind of this Vegas thing that they'd not only be disappointed in him for being so careless, but they'd also never let him hear the end of it; because he was "Stefan Salvatore:" their youngest—their valedictorian—their _golden child._

_Their perfectly capable, intelligent, and well-bodied child who "lacked real ambition" and was wasting his potential by making such frivolous mistakes._

He may have been the "good one" in their eyes but his parents still looked down on him. His entire family did for not being like _them._

"I'm not going to live off of you, Damon—I can get a job. I can also move out, if that's what you want—"

"I want you to be _smart _and do what you have to do to stay in mom and dad's good graces—and _pockets_," Damon said as his younger brother squinted his eyes. "Pretend that… this thing with Caroline is real, okay? For at least a few months. Play the charade—get what you want from them and then get the hell out. It really isn't that hard."

Stefan scoffed at that as he tilted his head and stared into Damon's eyes. He really was crazy, wasn't he?

"This isn't about money, Damon—"

"Well, it should be. _You _will not survive in the real world—with a suit and a tie and a _schedule _that you have to follow… You wouldn't last five minutes. Which is why you need to play your cards right and play _them_; pretend that you and Caroline ran off like a bunch of yuppies, tied the knot because you were _so in love, _and bam—your cash flow will be secure, you can still be happy, and you can continue to do what you want, when you want, and how you want. It's a win-win situation, Steffy."

"It is _psychotic,_" Stefan replied through his teeth as Damon rolled his eyes. "And what makes you think Caroline would go for this? She isn't an idiot, you know."

"She might not be dumb but she isn't _rich_," Damon replied as Stefan ticked his jaw. "You really don't think a girl like that would _die _to have the kind of things she could have if you two go along with this for a little while—pretend like it's all fine and dandy? Why _wouldn't _she want to live like a queen? Cut her a deal, Stefan—you know it's the smart thing to do—"

"I think I'm done here," Stefan replied as he finally turned around and walked away while shaking his head. "I need to wash the stench of your _desperation _off of my skin."

Damon snorted at that as he heard Stefan slam his bathroom door shut and start the shower no more than thirty seconds later, as he sat down to enjoy another cup of coffee—black of course—with his feet kicked up on the table and his newspaper in hand again.

"It's not desperation, it's _genius,_" he said to no one as his eyes scanned the page and he listened to the humming of the water across the suite as Stefan scrubbed himself clean of last night's sin. "You'll understand it soon, baby bro… You _definitely _will."

XXXXX

"So, are you ever going to tell us what happened last night?" Bonnie asked as Caroline combed through her locks before pulling out her makeup case and setting it on the sink. "You and Stefan seemed pretty… _comfortable _on the dance floor… And you didn't come back after you left with him… Is it safe to assume that this was a mission accomplished?"

Caroline snorted at that though her heart was pounding at the fact that she'd been back in this room for nearly 45 min and _no one _had discovered her secret yet; that she actually was a _married _woman, on her way to the annulment with said guy that she banged last night, and she was really ashamed about it.

It wasn't that she was embarrassed about hooking up with Stefan in general—it was just the circumstances, she realized. Back in their interning days, she'd thought of kissing him nearly every day she was there but she didn't because she ultimately chickened out when he looked her way and smiled in her direction.

But last night? She threw him up against a wall and laid one on him, as if she'd planned to do it all night. And she hadn't really—she didn't plan this at all.

Caroline cleared her throat normally as she applied her foundation and Bonnie watched on lazily with arms over her chest but a smirk that let her know she was awaiting the scoop. Bonnie was usually the rational one between the four, but she was also stubborn—and when she had her mind set on something, that was the end of it.

She was like a pit bull; and there was no releasing her jaw.

"Stefan and I had fun," Caroline said lightly—because it wasn't a lie—before her eyes averted to the different shades of lipstick that she had the option to choose from. "He's a good guy and I definitely wouldn't mind hanging out with him again, sometime," she said diplomatically and Bonnie smirked.

"So, what are you waiting for, Care? I mean—I know he lives in New York and we live in Virginia, but it's not like Skype and cell phones don't exist. You can keep in touch. Maybe see each other again, sometime—"

"We are… going to see each other, again," she said carefully as Bonnie's brow lifted with surprise and Caroline put on her best smile as she turned towards her face. "In fifteen minutes… for lunch. He… actually asked me to go to lunch," she lied.

"Lunch? I—you know our flight leaves soon, right—"

"He booked me a new one," Caroline said as Bonnie's eyes widened. "He wanted to spend just a few more hours together and I couldn't say no…"

"Oh my god, Caroline!" Bonnie smiled brightly at that as she hit her arm and the blonde howled loudly before she narrowed her gaze. "I am _so sorry, _but this is exciting! You're going on a _date! _You haven't since—"Bonnie stopped and pursed her lips as Caroline instantly remembered Klaus and ticked her jaw. "You know what? I am just happy for you, okay? No matter what happens, this is _good. _Getting back on the market is _good_—"

"Who's back on the market?" they heard as both girls turned around to see Rebekah waltz into the bathroom; her hair tied into a ponytail as she headed for her toothbrush.

She was always the last one to be ready for _anything._

"Nothing," Caroline said quickly as she eyed Bonnie who pursed her lips shut. "I am just… existing. Exploring my options… _Living—"_

"You fucked Stefan last night, didn't you?" Rebekah asked bluntly and Caroline's face turned to cherry red as she stared in the mirror at her own reflection and Bonnie let out a gentle cough. "We're all big girls here—we can say the words."

"Say what words?" Elena asked as she walked in too and Caroline slammed her eyeliner onto the porcelain countertop as she gazed at them all furiously—meeting each of their eyes as she looked past herself in the mirror.

Did everyone _need _to be in the bathroom right now? Seriously?

"There are no words, Elena—"Bonnie started and Rebekah cut her off as her tooth brush hung against her lips.

"Caroline fucked Stefan and she thinks we're gonna judge or something," she sighed and Caroline scoffed as she shut her eyes and Elena's mouth widened.

"Way to go, Care! Was he any good?" she wondered and Caroline spun around with he hands in the air as she looked to them all with fiery eyes. "He looks like he'd be good."

_They. Were. So. Embarrassing. She. Was. Not. Doing. This. Now. Or. Ever._

"I have to go," Caroline announced as the girls pouted and she swiped her makeup bag. "I have to meet up with a friend—"

"_Stefan," _Rebekah chimed in and Caroline licked her teeth. "Don't miss the flight!"

"About that," Caroline said as she raised an index. "He got me a new one. So…. See you guys later in Mystic Falls. Bye now."

Before Elena or Rebekah could say a word she blew them all a quick kiss, ran into the room where she grabbed her luggage and ran the hell out of there before much more could be said.

The longer she stuck around, the longer they would know she was hiding something else and she just couldn't afford to let them in on that now—or ever.

Bonnie would definitely be disappointed in her. Elena would be shocked. Rebekah would never let her live it down. She wanted no one to know and fortunately enough for she and Stefan, only his brother who hated her had been clued in. So it didn't seem like he'd much of a problem any time soon.

Caroline pulled out her cell once she got to the lobby of the Hard Rock to call Stefan; placing her cell to her ear and listening as it rung and she gripped her luggage tightly in the other hand.

He said via text that he'd meet her here once she was ready, and that she was.

She was ready to get the hell out of here and she was ready to get this over with.

But before Caroline could leave a voicemail, she was interrupted by a soft tap on her shoulder that nearly made her jump out of her skin and into a nearby fountain.

_She's never be used to busy places like this—places where there were crowds and people touched you._

But when she spun around, her annoyance quickly dwindled as she met Stefan's very olive green eyes, that were brought out exceptionally well by his matching shirt and she smiled nervously as he stared at her for a moment; taking in the lack of space between them as they stood in the middle of the crowd before he cleared his throat and took hold of her suitcase.

He smiled gently as she let him have it before she let out a gentle sigh.

"You know, it's not nice to sneak up on a woman like that. I—may have freaked out a bit."

"I know," he said as he realized there were goose bumps all over her arms in her sleeveless sundress and he offered a nod. "I'm sorry."

Caroline bit her lip at that as Stefan continued to study her face—as if he was committing it to memory—and she nodded as well.

"Apology accepted… this time."

Stefan grinned.

"Do you wanna find a bench? I can call a car to take us to the place so we don't have to walk with this," he said, referring to her bags. "I'm sure it'll only take five minutes."

"You're the expert—I've never had a servant," she replied hastily and Stefan sighed at that as they walked silently besides each other, out the hotel and onto the boardwalk.

It was a bright and beautiful day, she thought, as the Vegas air—filled with heat but no humidity—warmed her bones as it wafted through the air. The strip was already lively with bars that were open, music, people selling things, fliers making their way into her and Stefan's hands with each step they took.

She was going to be sad about leaving this place but at the same time, she missed her home; she missed her small town, with the one bar that had karaoke on Thursdays and 25 cent wings on Fridays. She missed her one bedroom apartment that was entirely too small to ever be comfortable in. She missed her cat—Lily. She missed it all.

And as nice and as fun as this place had been, it'd definitely been a learning experience as well; a lesson in not getting so blackout drunk that you married some guy you used to—and probably were still—crushing on, whilst expecting positive results.

Also—lock the bathroom door. Because apparently it became a party when you didn't.

"I don't have servants," Stefan said the second they sat down; as if he'd been waiting to prove her wrong and Caroline only replied with a short "Hm," at that. "Listen—I'm really sorry about what Damon said to you—"

"It's fine," she lied as her blue eyes looked into his. "I mean—whatever, right? Your brother is snob and it's obvious that he's had a very easy life compared to most people, thanks to where you come from—"

"But we're not _all _like that, Caroline," Stefan said as he let out a sigh. "I'm not, at least… I don't want to be… Not ever, you know?"

Caroline bit her lip at that as she looked to the ground and let his words sink in just a bit more before she looked to his eyes.

He was being sincere; he really was sorry about what a jackass his brother was and even if she wanted to hold it against him, she couldn't. You weren't always to blame for how poorly your family behaved.

_After all, she would know—there was her dad and resident drunk—Bill Forbes._

Caroline's stomach tightened at that as she shook away the thoughts about her father and feigned a smile.

Faking smiles was her thing; pretending to always be happy and optimistic and _forgiving _was her M.O.

Only this time, she really was being sincere, too. She was happy that despite what happened between them, Stefan wasn't treating her like some sort of leper or as if she was beneath him. He was treating her the way he always had; as a friend.

"I know," she said lightly as he looked out onto the strip and Caroline let out a sigh. "I…interned with you, Stefan… It's not like you're a stranger to me. We… kind of know each other a little better than that."

Stefan nodded as he remembered the feisty, fierce, and outgoing Caroline Forbes who dragged him out their first night in town and got him to dance at the very place they went to, even though he was the furthest thing from that sort of guy.

He remembered just how kind she had been to him, since day one, despite where he was from, and he never told her but he appreciated that. He appreciated _her _for that.

"You're right-we are actual friends," Stefan said as Caroline smiled and he reached into his pocket for the familiar ring and her eyes widened again. "Which is why I want you to have this."

"Stefan—"

"Relax, not like _that,_" he reassured as she met his eyes. "I just… I don't know what the hell to do with it… And it's nice and I figure if you don't keep it you can pawn it—"

"Stefan, I am not _that _broke, okay? I'm not gonna pawn that wedding ring. _You _should keep it—to give it to the girl you _actually _plan on marrying, you know? That'd make more sense—"

"Not to me," he said as he took her hand into his and placed it in there softly as she met his honest eyes. "Keep it, Caroline—as a token of…our revived friendship and—"

"Soon to be annulled marriage," she smirked as he did as well. "This is really romantic, I must say," she added sarcastically before she held it up again and look at the stone. "And the diamonds are real. That's important."

"_Super _important," he winked as she rolled her eyes. "Why don't you wear it for good luck? Hopefully it'll make this annulment fast and painless and speedy."

"Hopefully," Caroline said as she slipped back onto her finger slowly and fashioned it for him jokingly as he smiled. "You haven't even called the car yet, though, so that's kind of strike one."

"I'm on it," he promised as he whipped out his iPhone and Caroline smirked as she watched Stefan dialing an operator for the quickest car service that could get them from here to the place they got the marriage certificate from, that he found in his room on the dresser.

Damon had been right—the place had an attorney who handled these cases on stand-by and he couldn't help but laugh when he thought about just how cliché it really was that they did this; they'd gotten married in Vegas and less than twenty-four hours later, they were parting ways.

Caroline laughed at it too as she thought about it and smiled to herself when she realized the only silver-lining in the situation—she'd beat the small town odds and actually had gotten married _before _getting knocked up with any kids.

If that wasn't reason for celebration she didn't know what was.

Before she could suggest post-annulment shots, though, they were interrupted by a voice she knew way too well that chilled her all the way down to her core the very second his voice like velvet passed throughout her small and gentle ears.

"_Caroline,_" he said and her heart skipped a beat and the smile on her lips immediately disappeared as she looked up and saw _him_.

What the hell were the chances that she'd see _him?_

"Klaus?" Caroline asked as she looked into his demi-god-blue eyes and he sent her that familiar smirk that made her stomach knot and heart race as he charmingly lifted her by the hand and pulled her into a silent hug while Stefan watched wordlessly, all the while.

Who was this guy and why was Caroline so clearly flustered by him?

"I—what are you—wow," Caroline muttered as he finally released her from the hug and Klaus smiled tentatively as he glanced between her and the mysterious brunette beside her who finally rose to his feet to introduce himself by extending a hand.

Klaus politely complied.

"Stefan; Stefan Salvatore," he said. "Nice to meet you Klaus—"

"Mikaelson. _Niklaus, _actually—but I'm not as formal as my parents named me to be."

Stefan nodded at that as he cleared his throat and Caroline pursed her lips as she looked at him and spun towards Klaus, who was dressed in a nice designer suit, briefcase in hand, and his Ray Bans now on the hook of his shirt.

She hadn't seen him in months, since he'd move out of Virginia and to California for a new job with some top marketing agency, and she almost regretted just how _good _he'd looked.

It was always a blow to ego when you saw an ex and instead of falling apart, they just seemed so well and put together.

That was her crisis right now; that every one of her fears had come true. Klaus never needed her then and by the looks of it, he wouldn't, ever again.

He done damn well for himself and by the curious look on his face, she knew he was wondering just the same—if Caroline Forbes had been anything without him.

_Spoiler alert—she didn't feel like it._

"So, what are you doing here?" he asked almost immediately as he looked into Caroline's eyes and shamelessly over her frame. "You look well."

"Thank you," she said almost breathlessly before clearing her throat. "And I'm just—you know. On vacation. Hanging with Stefan, here… the girls…your sister—"

"Ah, sweet Rebekah," he said with a smile as Stefan mentally recalled the girl from last night. "We haven't talked in about two weeks but she did tell me she was coming here… She just didn't tell me about _you_."

"I mean, why would she, Klaus? It's not like we left everything on good terms," she snapped a little too fiercely; instantly cursing her tongue as she looked down to the ground and then back up again.

There it was; that thinly veiled _rage and hate and anger _that she still harbored towards him—that she'd convinced herself she'd let go, even though she knew she hadn't been even close.

She wasn't over him and he knew it—just by the slight twinkle in her eyes at her abrupt outburst—and he almost smiled at that when she shook her head and took a healthy step back to create some distance.

She _needed _distance; and it was as if Stefan knew her better than she knew herself.

"Care, let's go," he suggested almost immediately as he looked into Klaus' eyes and watched he blonde –haired man staring back at him just as strongly. "You said you wanted to eat lunch and there's this really good place right up the strip—"

"Lunch, you say? Well, perhaps I'll join you. I'm due for a break. It'll give us all the time in the world to catch up—fill me in on what you've been up to," Klaus winked as he looked at his Movado and Caroline felt her cheeks warm.

He was antagonizing her; he was doing this on purpose. And just the fact that he could still make her feel like she was nothing more than a stop along the way for him pissed her off. What was it going to take to make him feel as bad as she did right now?

As _irrelevant?_

"I was… thinking it could be more private," Stefan attempted to say politely before Caroline interrupted him, with a flash of her left hand as Klaus' smirk disappeared when he saw the giant rock on her finger and she smiled haughtily the second she caught the panic in his eyes.

Was she doing this? She was really doing this.

"Rebekah didn't tell you I was here because I didn't come with her… Stefan and I are on our honeymoon. I'm married, Klaus."

His eyes almost shot out of his head as he glanced to Stefan—who was just as speechless—for confirmation before the brunette felt Caroline squeeze his hand pleadingly and he cleared his throat.

_She wanted him to go along with this. She actually wanted him to do this right now._

"Married? Wow, Caroline. I didn't have the slightest idea—"

"We kept it small—just us," she said as she glanced to Stefan who still hadn't said a word though he was staring at her hotly. "We're planning the big ceremony not too far from now. If you wanna hear all about it you can come with us for lunch. Or drinks. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, right?"

Klaus stood absolutely speechless and Caroline felt a slight bit of elation mixed with a _daze _as her heart nearly hopped out of her chest—her fingers still interlocked with Stefan's as he hadn't said a word; not to expose her, yell at her, or even discourage her.

He said nothing. _Nothing at all._

And she didn't know whether or not that was a good thing or a bad thing.

But right now it was good—_very good, for her._

**A/N; HEY EVERYONE! So I would like to thank you all who reviewed on the first chapter of this story and inspired me to keep going because the motivation definitely had a hand in deciding whether or not I would continue this one! There really aren't many Steroline stories—especially AU—so I would deff like to do my share by adding to the fanfic community, just as long as you all are with it! So what did you think about this chapter? I tried to give a little bit more insight as to who Stefan and Caroline are, as well as interactions with Damon, and friends. What do you think about Damon's plan for Stefan? Or Klaus popping up? And Caroline's lie? Will they be able to fake it for now and most importantly are they going to go through with the annulment? You'll have to wait and see. ;) Thank you all so much for the alerts on this story and please—continue to review, as I see it as motivation to start the next one. As always take care, and until next time! xoxo**


	3. Ex Factor

**Ex Factor**

"So…_ married,_" Klaus began, with a hint of bitterness to his voice, as his eyes bounced back and forth between Caroline and Stefan so fast, the girl was getting dizzy just watching him. He angrily took a sip of his Jack and Coke and feigned a smile as the silence passed between the three before final opening his heart-shaped mouth again. "I must admit I am very _surprised, _Caroline… It's not been more than six months since _we _parted ways. I never imagined that you would find your _one and only_ quite so fast… or be wed quite so _soon._"

Caroline bit her lip as she picked up her apple martini and took a gentle sip; watching the way the Vegas sunrays bounced off of his golden hair as they sat on the outdoor patio at a nice restaurant, sharing drinks and appetizers as if they had all been old friends—_and as if this situation was not as awkward as it had been written to be._

Here Caroline was—_pretending _to be married, for the sake of showing up her ex-boyfriend, while Stefan had seemingly decided to bite the bullet and actually _go along _with it, for her sake; silently sipping his own Gin and Tonic, while giving Klaus the death glare of the ages each time the man opened his mouth.

Even as Caroline's "fake husband," Stefan was doing a great job of playing the part of the "jealous significant other;" habitually sitting up straighter in his seat as he listened to the two conversing, and slightly rolling his eyes anytime Klaus gave Caroline and underhanded compliment or even called her by her nickname _Care._

He may not have been her husband for any time at all, but he could admit to feeling oddly annoyed and strangely _protective _of her in this moment—especially when it came to this blonde _douchebag _who was sizing her up like she was a piece of meat and talking to her like sweet, _manipulative, _sugar ran throughout his veins.

He may not have been with Caroline but he didn't want this guy to be, either. Not when it was so clear that he'd broken her heart once before and was just pissed off about the fact that he wasn't going to have the chance to do it, again.

_Not while Stefan was around._

He'd had his heart broken, too, in the past and he knew just what it was like to be eager to jump right back into things with the person who'd destroyed you in the first place. Luckily enough for this situation, Caroline didn't seem to be taking the bait. Caroline seemed like she was completely capable of handling herself. He wanted to applaud that.

He would definitely applaud her for being so _strong._

"When it's real, you just _know_," Caroline finally responded, with a diplomatic smile and a shrug of her shoulder before carefully raising her drink and taking a pull once more. "Stefan and I—we knew each other back in our interning days in Washington D.C; some time before I even knew _you, _Klaus_. _Us finding each other again…Falling in love, it was just—"

"Fate," Stefan finally spoke up for the first time, as he took Caroline's hand into his; slowly wrapping his fingers around her own. His eyes never dropped from Klaus' and he watched the man swallow hard. "Caroline and I were destined to find each other again. And you know the saying, Klaus—'_fate doesn't care about plans.' _It was only a matter of time before this happened… And I'm happy that it did. She's made me the happiest man on the planet. She's such a wonderful person."

Caroline smiled appreciatively at Stefan's lie—internally sighing at the way his fingers grazed her softly and his hand seemed to just _gel _perfectly to hers. When she looked his direction, his green eyes gleamed as he sent her a gentle nod and on the inside, the blonde positively _swooned._

This may have been fake and it was all going to be over the second Klaus left, she got on her flight, and Stefan got on his. But she still couldn't deny the fact that they were good at this—_very _good at this—and had it been under any other circumstances, she would have loved to have a relationship with the man she called her "husband," though she knew any chance of that was now so clearly out of the window.

She and Stefan had already gone through enough in the past few hours—hopes for a future relationship were already slim and on the way to being completely dashed in her opinion. The look in his eyes when he saw her in his living this morning gave that away.

It was a mistake—going back to his room with him, indulging in one sweet night of passion, and subsequently getting _married _for whatever reason it was, because neither of them quite remembered how it all unfolded.

She and Stefan were _fucked—_as far as pursuing anything past a fleeting friendship went; she knew it and he knew it, too.

But never the less, _this _was nice. It was nice pretending that they were happy about it and it was even better that they'd been able to use it to get Klaus upset. She wondered if Stefan had any ex-girlfriends that he would later want to one-up by rubbing a faulty marriage in their faces but Caroline stopped herself from even truly considering that the moment she had the thought.

Stefan may have been as conniving as she was, playing along with this, but he was much more evolved. She couldn't imagine him wanting to hurt anyone—not even someone who'd hurt _him._

He was just genuinely a good person. And after all was said and done, that was something she was going to miss about this and him—the fact that he just had such a big heart.

Klaus' clearing of his throat broke Caroline out of his thoughts as he eyed them both carefully before taking another chip into his mouth and a sip of his drink.

She knew that look well—he was _aggravated._ And perhaps had they had a better relationship at the end of it all, she would have felt guilty. But she didn't; she couldn't.

_She refused._

"That's…fantastic to hear," he forced and Caroline grinned unapologetically as she watched him struggle to swallow his pride ad fake _happiness _at the fact that she had actually moved on after he was the very same one daring her to, just a few months ago. "And I suppose my sister and the rest of your friends and families are _very _happy about this? I still can't believe Rebekah didn't think to tell me."

"She didn't attend the wedding—we didn't invite anyone. Stefan and I—"

"Wanted to be spontaneous," he cut in calmly—Caroline's hand still tightly within his own. "And we just couldn't wait when it came to planning some huge, lavish event when—"

"We only needed each other," Caroline ended and she smirked at Stefan. "It was just as important with just _us _two, on that island of Kauai… It was gorgeous—it was everything I ever dreamed of. The only reason we came back so _soon _was because the girls _begged _us to meet them here and tell them how everything went… They wanted all of the lovey, dovey, _fluffy _details," Caroline mused and Klaus tugged at his lip. "Right, honey?" she asked towards Stefan.

"Right," he said in agreement before feeling a slight buzz in his pocket before he whipped out his phone and glanced at the name _Damon _on the screen. "Do you two mind if I take this?" he asked as he rose out of his seat; it was a very rare occasion that Damon actually _called _him instead of just texting, so he knew this was important. "It's my brother."

"Go ahead," Caroline nodded supportively. "But don't take too long! I want to order dessert," she smiled.

"It'll be just a minute, I'm sure," Stefan winked before leaning in to give her a quick peck on the lips as he felt Klaus' eyes bun through his skin and Caroline sigh against his lips the second he pulled away. "Be right back."

"_Au revoir," _Klaus said plainly before his eyes flashed back to Caroline, who seemed to be a little bit _frazzled _by Stefan's kiss—her cheeks a slight pink and her eyes avoiding his own as she straightened the napkin on her lap and he stared at her all the while.

"_What?"_

"Does our husband not kiss you in public or something?" he asked bluntly as Caroline's eyes finally glanced into his own. "You seem a bit jumpy."

"If you must know… Stefan is a little bit _shy_ when it comes to showing public displays of affection," Caroline replied. "He's not really one for going to town right in front of other people."

_Unless it's in a hotel hallway, she mentally reminded herself._

"And you're okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I… love him and he loves me. That's what matters, right? You don't have to overdo it when you're in love."

Klaus let out a soft whistle at that, as he watched Caroline quietly nibble on a cheese cracker from the platter in front of them; his fingers drumming the table the longer the seconds past.

_The seconds that were beginning to feel like hours._

"Look at how much you've changed," he said as she looked up and he offered a smile that unexpectedly caught her at the heart but made her tighten at the stomach when she remembered just who he was. "No PDA, a small wedding, being _low-key…_ Who are you and what have you done with the Caroline Forbes _I _know? The one who always needed the lights, camera, and action on _her?_"

Caroline swallowed hard at that as she remembered just another one of the things Klaus cited in their break-up; the fact that she was a _drama queen _and if he wanted to date a diva, he could find a "real" one in Hollywood. He never liked that she needed so much attention or that she was supremely nit-picky when it came to the details of their relationship or where it was going in the future. Klaus wanted less of the dramatics and for him, Caroline simply refused to change who she was.

It'd been just another reason they were all wrong for each other and each time she let herself feel a slight tingle when she looked into his eyes, she remembered that. She remembered just how badly he hurt her.

"I'm still the same Caroline—I just grew up," she said sharply. "People do that you know—they _change_."

"It's very seldom that they actually do, love…but had I known _you _were capable of it, perhaps I… would have changed my mind."

Caroline scoffed at that as she watched the look in his eyes glowing the longer he stared at her.

_This asshole was actually being serious. And she was getting angrier and angrier as the time rolled b. Where was Stefan to calm her down when she needed him?_

"No offense, Klaus, but I don't _need _you to change your mind when I've made up my own," she shot back. "You did, too, a few months ago… Remember? With _Camille_?"

"Ah, _there's _that jealousy," Klaus said smugly as he looked into Caroline's eyes and she stared at him suddenly sneeringly. "Even as a _happily _married woman, you can't resist but throw jabs at little old me and my decision to move on with her… Don't worry—things have since ended and as of two weeks ago, I am a happy and very single bachelor."

"Good for you. I'm happy that _you're _happy. Because even when we're not together, that's what still really matters, right? _Your _happiness?"

Before Klaus could answer that, Stefan quickly appeared back at the table, fresh off of his phone call with a very serious Damon who'd just told him that their Grandma on their father's side was in the hospital and they needed to get back to New York as soon as possible to see her and the rest of their family.

Caroline must have known he was within the throws of an actual crisis when she saw the look on his face as he sat down and she instantly took hold of his hand while she sat up straighter and downed the rest of his drink in one shot.

Klaus only watched on.

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked. "You were gone a long time."

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just—there's a family emergency, sort of. Grandma is sick and in the hospital, again."

"Oh, yeah…I… remember her being sick," Caroline said softly, though she didn't have a clue if this was for real or to just get them out of this awkward lunch situation. Either way, she was sprinting with it. "Do you wanna go?"

"Can we?" Stefan asked almost breathlessly before standing up again and reaching into his pocket to pay for the bill. "I'm really sorry—"

"Don't worry about it, mate," Klaus said, to both the bill and the couple's seemingly urgent exit. "We'll have plenty of time to catch up again, when I am back in Mystic Falls… That's where you two are living, right?"

"Yeah, but… aren't you in California?" Caroline asked and Klaus placed some money on the table before picking up his brief case and offering a soft smile.

"The company is transferring me back. They're opening a new office not too far away from home and because they know I know the area—"

The rest sounded like a blur or words as she tried to keep her eyes from popping out of their sockets and her lips from drying up, due to how widely her mouth was hanging open. It was _that _bad.

_He was moving back to Mystic Falls. And she was fake married. _Now _she was screwed._

"Great," was all Caroline could say as she watched Stefan grab her suitcase and Klaus glance steadily their way. "So yeah—maybe we'll see you around when we're not busy… You know, with his Grandma."

"Absolutely. I'll be back home in a week and I'm sure we'll all run into each other quite soon… Perhaps we can all go out on the town to celebrate my return… After things with your grandmother smooth over, of course."

Stefan smiled fakely at that as he shook Klaus' hand and offered a short "Nice to meet you," before backing away and allowing the man to lean in and give Caroline a soft kiss on the cheek that definitely lingered much longer than it needed to.

"_We'll definitely be in touch,_" he said onto her ear and the blonde couldn't help but shiver.

The second Klaus finally took off, she immediately pulled out her cell phone as Stefan crossed his arms over his chest easily, while he watched her frantically typing on her cell phone and he pursed his lips as she went on.

"Caroline, what are you—"

"Damage control," she said, as she sent a mass text to Rebekah, Elena, and Bonnie. '_Whatever you do—don't answer any calls or text messages from Klaus if he tries to get in touch. Will explain later.' _Send. "Not like it matters, anyway—he's totally gonna know—"

"Know _what _Caroline?"

"That this is _fake_, hello," she whispered hotly as he grabbed her suitcase and began to follow her quickened pace out of the restaurant, while her eyes were glued to her phone's screen. "I'm such an idiot, you know—pretending we're married to make my ex-boyfriend mad? Just how _psychotic _am I? And why did you go along with it?" she asked as he barely kept up with her heels and they made it back to the boardwalk.

Caroline suddenly stopped as she turned around to face him and Stefan's eyes dimmed when she looked at him softly before lowering her tone.

"Is it… true about your grandma being in the hospital?"

Stefan hesitated for a second before finally nodding and Caroline cupped both hands over her mouth as he finally earned the courage to speak.

"I—have to go back to New York, Caroline… Damon said that our dad told him it's really bad. "He… chartered one of his jet planes to pick us up from here and take us back to New York… I'm leaving in 45 minutes."

Caroline breathed deeply at that as she rubbed her temples and Stefan licked his teeth while they stood in silence—her trying to digest his news as she quickly forgot about her own; the only reminder, her phone vibrating erratically within her own hand as she was sure Rebekah, Bonnie, and Elena were all trying to get in touch with her at the same exact time to find out just what the hell was going on.

_They would know soon enough._

"Do you want me to come with you?" Caroline asked gently as Stefan tugged at his bottom lip; her blue eyes gleaming seriously when she took his hand into her own. "I just, I feel _so bad_—"

"This isn't your fault or problem, Caroline. You know it's not—"

"Neither was Klaus, but that didn't stop you from helping _me, _now did it?" she asked and Stefan sighed as he shook his head.

It wasn't the same thing; not even _close _to being the same thing.

"Caroline—"

"I made a mistake back there—telling my asshole of an ex-boyfriend that we were _married, _just to make him feel bad about leaving me and guess what? Now, he's moving to Mystic Falls and we're getting an annulment. So in a week—I'm going to have to explain why you're not there, too… I'm going to have to explain that I'm a liar and a fake and _pathetic—_"

"You're not pathetic, Caroline. You're not anything _close _to pathetic."

"Then let me prove that to you—by being there for _you, _just like I know you'd be there for me if I needed it… because I—I'm going to have to deal with those things, but right now? I know this is more important. _Much _more important, okay?"

Stefan breathed deeply as Caroline leaned in and gave him a hug; one that regrettably warmed him down to the core and awakened all of his senses the seconds her arms wrapped over his shoulders and her head nestled against his chest.

Even with his mind swirling and a million and one things disrupting his thought process even more, _this _felt nice—having someone _be there _for him no matter what, even if there were other things they were going to have to deal with later.

Like the fact that they still needed to get an annulment. And everything that just happened at their lunch would definitely explode once her friends found out and Klaus found out it was all a lie.

_And that it had all happened because Caroline and Stefan were nothing more than a pair of drunken fools._

"I can't _make _you come to New York, Caroline—"

"I want to," she said softly, as she pulled away from the hug slowly—still somehow within his arms as they stared at one each other with such graciousness, she instantly wondered why she couldn't have been better at _not _jumping into bed with him so quickly; if it would have made a difference, at the end of it all had they not been stupid and gone off and got _married._

_Probably not. But that still didn't kick her desire to be Stefan's friend. And in her world, friends were there for each other—no matter what._

"You're not making me, because I _want _to," she stated clearly and Stefan remained silent as she finally pulled out his arms and looked down at her watch before letting out a sigh. "I want to be there because I consider you one of my closest friends, even if we haven't seen each other in so long. Stefan…you really are important to me and I know we made a mistake—or a few—last night but I… was hoping I could make that up."

"_You _don't owe me anything, Caroline. I was there, too. It's _my _fault—and I'm going to fix it—"

"_After _we make sure your grandma is fine… Okay? We will deal with _us, _after. Got it?"

"Okay," he finally nodded as he held her luggage again. "Okay, fine… But don't feel pressured to stay, Caroline—even if things get worse. My family isn't exactly the most pleasant of people and—"

"Could they really be any worse than_ Damon?"_

You'd be surprised," he said as they walked towards his hotel and Caroline folded her arms. "But don't let them intimidate you, okay? And… don't tell anyone that we're married unless you want the entire city of Manhattan to be flipped upside down."

"Noted," Caroline said, as she slipped off her wedding ring for good measure and threw it into her pocket book, as he removed his own and put it into his pocket. "No one knows anything about you and I. My lips are sealed. And as soon as things are hopefully all well with your grandma—"

"We come back and get the annulment," Stefan said as she nodded and they continued to walk. "Again—I'm really sorry that this just suddenly came up—"

"It's fine," Caroline breathed. "I mean—it'll give me some time to figure out how I'm going to deal with Klaus when he comes back. I'm… thinking I tell him you're a pilot? That way, he'll never expect you to be around and you can give visit one every six months until we 'amicably agree to go our own separate ways,' or something. I don't know—we have an entire jet plane ride to figure this out."

"That we do," Stefan responded. "And Damon—we have an entire jet plane ride to deal with _Damon._"

Caroline shuddered at that as she recalled the icy blue eyes of Stefan's older brother and she let out a definitive sigh once they walked up to the Cesar Palace and saw him waiting impatiently; his phone at his ear as he steadily barked orders into the receiver, like a pit bull dressed in Prada.

Stefan faced Caroline the second she groaned and he rubbed her back reassuringly before whispering into her ear "It'll just be a few hours."

XXXXX

_If there had been one thing Caroline wished Stefan warned her about, it wouldn't have been Damon, who spent the entire flight bitching about everything within his existence. _

_No._

_It would have been the goddamn cameras—and crowds of paparazzi—waiting just outside of the area where their jet plane had landed, snapping pictures of them the second they dismounted the plane and busily hounding them with questions as a few guards stood between them and the photo-hungry people, begging for them to pose for a few snaps or answer a few questions, as Stefan, Damon, and Caroline carried on quietly, and into one of the Salvatore families many courtesy limos._

Caroline held her palms over her eyes the second she plopped into her seat; her pupils still stinging from the flashes of the cameras as she shook her head frustratingly when Damon reached forward and opened a bottle of tequila—placing his lips against it as he took a straight shot.

When her pupils felt semi-back to normal, she glanced at him in disbelief as he offered her the bottle and Stefan rolled his eyes when he watched his brother's crassness.

"_Really, Damon?" _he asked. "We're on our way to a _hospital._"

"All the more reason to booze it up," he winked before taking back one swig and finally placing the bottle down. "Hospitals are my _least _favorite place in the world… Well that, elevators, and jail..."

"And I assume you've spent a great deal of time in all _three,_" Caroline muttered as Damon sent her a guilty smile before wagging his bottle.

"Tijuana was a _hell _of a time, back in 2005."

Caroline shook her head as she faced away from him and towards Stefan who was just surprised the two hadn't ripped each other's heads off on the entire flight home. Damon had actually been pleasant, but it was probably because he was sleeping. For the ten minutes that he _had _been awake, he was a raging dick, and neither Caroline or Stefan expected otherwise.

After all, saying and being the actual worst was his M.O. If Damon was being nice, that usually meant something was up and/or wrong. So long as he was his usual snotty self, Stefan had less of a reason to have a cause of worry. It was when he was kind that people had to start questioning things.

But he wasn't kind very often—including most of this entire day, besides his random talk he'd had with Stefam that morning about his trust fund—so things must have gone back to normal, for him. Stefan was thankful.

"Is it always like this?" Caroline asked, referring to the paparazzi that nearly smothered them from the way out of the Salvatore jet down to the car. "I mean—I knew your parents were _socialites _or whatever—but I didn't realize the extent."

"It's not always like this," Stefan reassured. "I think just with the news of Grandma being in the hospital, they're out for fresh blood. There's a ten out of ten chance that all of the papers tomorrow will be trying to figure out who you are but once they can't, they'll quit. Or they'll say you're with Damon. That's worst case scenario."

"Ew," Caroline said softly. "No offense, Damon, but…ew."

"Right back at ya,_ baby_ _cakes. _Blonde's aren't my type—I prefer my dealings to be a bit more _exotic._ The press is definitely going to pin this one on _you, _Steffy. You have a thing for… Plain Janes."

"I have a thing for girls who aren't just interested with what I have in my pocket," Stefan shot back and Damon smirked imaginatively.

"So, what—are you two planning on living off the land? Is that why she's here?"

"She's here because we're _friends, _Damon. Though I assume you wouldn't know a thing about that, considering every woman that you've ever been involved with was a conquest of yours."

"And because I allow myself to indulge so _freely, _I don't go running off and _marrying _the first one I fool around with in Vegas, like a goddamn amateur."

"You're not gonna let this go, are you?"

"Not until you stop being an idiot, no. If you're gonna be 'married,' Stefan, that's fine—you know I'm here with you, through and through. But at least do it for the right reasons, you know? Like that slowly dwindling wallet of yours."

Stefan grew silent at that and Caroline sat up straighter as she glanced between the two confusedly; her eyes mostly on Stefan as he tried his best to avoid her though he ultimately failed when her stare burned against him and he chewed at his lip.

"What… is he talking about?" Caroline asked softly and Stefan swallowed hard as Damon smirked ingeniously before taking another sip. "What does this have to do with money?"

"_Everything—"Damon_ started, only to be cut off by Stefan who was sending his brother visual daggers.

"Nothing, Caroline. This has nothing to do with money—Damon has no clue what he's saying."

"Let's not act like I'm delusional, Stefan, when I'm the only person trying to come up with a way you two can best benefit from this shit show of a mistake, of yours."

"Damon—stop talking—"Stefan started, only to be interrupted by Caroline who rose a hand.

"Damon—_keep _talking," she instructed, much to his surprise, as a bout of fire was beginning to mount within her eyes. "Because clearly—Stefan doesn't think that I can handle the truth."

"Because it's _not _the truth, Caroline—it's some crazy, far-fetched plan that Damon up with, probably on LSD or something similarly psychotic, because he has _nothing_ else to do with his time other than think of ways to complicate my life."

"Unless it's a brilliant idea," Damon cut in and Stefan eyed him angrily while Caroline's gaze was still filled with misunderstanding as she stared at them both—desperately trying to grasp onto the straws of this ambiguous conversation.

_What the hell was Damon even talking about?_

"Damon, stop—"

"I think you and Stefan should stay married. At least for a few months, or so," Damon confessed and Caroline's eyes widened as she stared between the brothers; the elder smiling ingeniously and Stefan rubbing his temples, as the seconds rolled on.

_Wait, what?_

"Damon—"she started and he cut her off with a raise of his index finger and a tip of his glass.

There was more.

_Oh man, there was actually more._

"This doesn't have anything to do with me thinking you two are a match in heaven or something because trust me; _I don't care. _But it has everything to do with the fact that Stefan, here, is about to be on final warning with the family funds because not only is he an unmotivated artist or writer or _whatever, _but he's also not married—and my parents are dying to see him _grow up, _otherwise, he can kiss every cent in his trust fund goodbye."

Stefan sighed at that as Caroline rolled her tongue over her teeth and shook her head. This didn't make any sense—Stefan was about to be skating on thin ice with his _parents? _She'd seriously thought he could do no wrong.

"But…you're not married," Caroline pointed out to Damon as he followed her eyes. "You're also a man child, at best—"

"I have a career—and 'ambition;' at least, the kind my parents are willing to _acknowledge. _Stefan is a saint—_too good of one, apparently_—and besides the fact that he doesn't keep up with the appearance of even _looking _for his 'soul mate,' like I do, he's not doing anything with his life that my parents approve of. So—the angel wings are about to be snipped, _pretty soon_—"

"Okay Damon—we get it," Stefan finally chimed in after his annoyed and momentary silence. "Mom and Dad want to force me into conforming and because I won't, I'll suffer 'consequences.' I don't care, at this point—it doesn't even _matter_—"

"But Grandma matters, right?" Damon asked suddenly and Stefan shut his mouth as his brother sat up straighter to look into his eyes. "The fact that she's _dying _and all she ever wanted was to see her _favorite _grandson walk down the aisle, before she punched her final time card? Because Lord knows, even when she _does _kick the big one, Mom and Dad, _still _control all of her assets and will make sure you don't get damn thing until you clean up your act… What better way to put that savior complex to good use than to announce your own _marriage?"_

"Because it's _wrong, _Damon—on _so _many levels—"

"To who? _You? _I'm sure Caroline would _love _nothing more than to play your wife for six months or so, if I meant she'd be able to buy more of those Christian Louboutin shoes she seems to like so much," Damon said, as he flashed her a look. "And _I'd _love nothing more than to go _one month _without Mom and Dad asking me what you're up to; if you've got a _real _job or if you're seeing anyone yet… I'd like to go one _day _without everyone in the family thinking I'm your babysitter—or worse; thinking _you've _fallen apart completely because of _she who shall not be named, _and you're never gonna pick yourself back up again because you're heartbroken—because they think you're _depressed._"

Stefan's lip trembled at that as the car finally came to a stop in front of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and his hand immediately reached for the handle and gripped it so tightly, his knuckles turned blue.

Damon was wrong—and so were the rest of his family. Because he wasn't depressed, or heartbroken, or unmotivated—he just wasn't _anything,_ and the longer they stopped trying to fit him into a box, the better off everyone would be.

He wasn't going to fake a marriage for the sake of holding onto a trust fund and he also wasn't going to compromise who he was, just to make them all happy.

As soon as his grandmother was okay, he and Caroline _were _heading back to Las Vegas to get the annulment and that was final. He refused to drag her into the nonsense that were his family politics _just_ to earn himself a few dollars, and quite frankly, it bothered him that Damon thought he knew not only him, but Caroline, so well, too; that she'd be willing to sell herself short just for a pair of new shoes when the girl was the furthest thing from a gold digger or an opportunist if he knew one.

Caroline was from a small town, but she wasn't desperate. And he wasn't going to treat her that way. And neither would Damon, if he had any say in that.

"Stefan—" he felt Caroline's hand land on his shoulder before he got out of the car and he took in a deep breath as he turned just in time to see her shaking her head. "Why didn't you tell me—"

"Because this isn't your problem," he replied simply and he mouth pursed shut. "It wasn't before and it won't be in the future—_don't make this your problem, Caroline._"

She watched silently as he stepped out of the car and Caroline chewed her lip tirelessly when she finally followed—Damon just a few steps behind her as they walked up to the medical building with a fevered pace and iron-clad lungs.

Caroline only stopped when she felt Damon pull her back by the wrist and she glanced into his eyes curiously as Stefan continued walking and almost disappeared from sight as they stood in hallway—not even past the check-in station.

"I'm worried about him, Caroline," Damon said before she could even administer a word and the blue-eyed man sighed as she followed his face. "And if you're really his _friend, _you should be, too. Stefan has a knack for putting on a mask, even when his entire world is falling apart."

Caroline didn't say a word to that as Damon finally released her hand and began to walk off, again; her eyes dumbly keeping up with his strides as he made it down the hallway before finally, she snapped out of her daze and began to walk after him.

_He had a knack for putting on a mask, even when his entire world was falling apart?_

She'd known what that felt like, quite well. And she knew just how impossible is was to pull yourself out of water, when you were already six feet under.

**A/N: HELLO EVERYONE! So, I was once again pleased with the amount of feedback I've gotten on this fic, that I decided to give you guy another chapter much sooner than I anticipated! Thank you all SO MUCH for your words, thoughts, alerts, etc. because they definitely kept me motivated while giving me a lot to think about as far as where this is all going and what is next for our beloved Stefan and Caroline. Did you like the awkward lunch date with Klaus? What did you think of the fact that he's moving to Mystic Falls and what are his motives with Caroline, again? Do you think Stefan was jealous or just looking out for his friend? And what about Damon spilling the beans to Caroline about not only his plan but Stefan's seemingly dark past? Do you think he's over exaggerating or is this something to worry about? If so, how will this change how Caroline sees him/their possible future together? HMMM. I am trying very hard to keep a good pace with this story while developing he characters and relationships on the way so please—don't hesitate to let me know how you think I'm doing! Predictions? I'd love to hear them! **

**Oh and also—I am going to be writing a bit of Klaroline into this story because Klaus is who I chose to be her ex, but I am not a Klaroline shipper so no worries, to those of you who were concerned. This story is about Caroline and Stefan, and I don't think it'd be half as interesting without some obstacles along the way! *hint* there will be more. ;)**

**As always, thank you again and until next time, lovies! Xoxo**


	4. Love With a Motive

**Love With a Motive**

"For you, a small, Columbian blend—one milk, two sugars—and for me? Twice that," Caroline said as she handed Stefan his coffee in the waiting room and took a seat beside him when he nodded thankfully. "I would have gotten Damon something but he's been barking at whoever the unlucky soul is on the other end of that phone call for fifteen minutes… I didn't want to risk inciting his rage even more."

Stefan sighed knowingly as he watched his brother pacing the floor—speaking animatedly about work and business before he placed his cup to his lips and took a long and silent sip. There was no changing Damon—even when the situation was life or death.

They'd been here for about 45 minutes in the waiting room—just waiting, while their parents were with the doctors, and it was safe to say this was one of the most nerve-wracking situations in Stefan's entire life.

Not knowing what was going on—_no one _having the decency to come out and tell them, either—was aggravating, and if it hadn't been for Caroline keeping him company, while he tried his best to keep his eyes on the news on the flat screen, he might have gone crazy.

He still hadn't found the words—or enough of them, anyway—to thank her for all she was doing, and with each passing moment he knew that he didn't have to.

Caroline knew just how appreciative he was of her being here; she knew just by the look in his eyes when she finally came back from the coffee run to take her usual seat beside him, just before offering him a quaint and easy smile.

It was scary—imagining that his grandmother was sick again and this could be the last time he ever saw her—but something about Caroline's smile made him believe things were going to be okay—that all hope wasn't lost and that this wouldn't be the end, though he didn't know a thing right now to prove it otherwise.

Caroline's smile gave him strength.

"Damon doesn't need coffee; at least not right now, anyway," Stefan trailed off slowly as he watched his brother still yelling into the receiver; the medical clerk just short of jumping out of her seat and ripping his iPhone out of his hand. "I wish I could be more like him when these things happen…So focused, so—"

"Loud?" Caroline asked incredulously. "Seriously? You wanna be like _that?"_

"I wanna not care as much as I do, you know?… Not that Damon doesn't care, but he just… He doesn't let things tear him apart the way I do. Sure, he gets mad and angry and _loud, _like you said, but in a few minutes? He's over it. He just always finds a way to get over whatever life is throwing his way. Whether it be his job, or his friends, or…_women, _he just finds a way to block the pain out. It's mind-blowing, actually, that someone _that _intense—that _emotional_—can just…turn it off," Stefan said airily as he continued to watch his brother.

Caroline licked her teeth at that before turning to Stefan who was still staring at Damon and she scrunched her brows.

"Just because he's projecting his problems doesn't mean he's ever really getting over them. And neither are you, the longer you just close yourself off … In what's beginning to feel like every aspect of your life—"

"What are you hinting at?"

"I'm... hinting at the fact that I'm kind of pissed you didn't tell me, Stefan… About your family; about your _situation," _she lowered her voice, as he looked down and ticked his jaw. "Seriously—why didn't you say anything about the outrageous family politics? About your _trust fund woes_—"

"Because I don't wanna talk about it."

"Why not?" she asked. "Is it because you don't think I can relate? Just because I can't I've been in your shoes doesn't mean I won't understand—"

"I don't want to talk about it because it's all irrelevant, Caroline," he answered as she pursed her lips. "It's all stupid and vapid and _shallow, _in the grand scheme of things, isn't it? What business do I have complaining about the fact that Mommy and Daddy won't take care of me anymore when you're—"he stopped and Caroline tugged at her lip. "…When you have probably dealt with _a lot_ more? I can't pretend like I have it so much tougher than you when I don't—I don't, at all."

Caroline didn't say anything to that, as she thought about her single mom back home, her alcoholic father, and the fact that she'd never even been anywhere _close _to a limo or a jet until today, when Stefan's parents chartered both for them, without so much as a second thought.

It was true that Caroline didn't lead a charmed life at all—living paycheck to paycheck, on Ramen noodles some days, while taking the bus the next, while her piece of shit car was broken down or on the outs.

She splurged on shoes, steak, and two-ply tissue when she could afford it—she learned to live without the things she considered luxuries, when she couldn't.

But that didn't mean that she led a _bad _life; it didn't mean that she wasn't grateful for all she'd had or that she thought her existence had been unfulfilled because she never had _more._

She just learned to deal—something she knew Stefan could eventually do, too, if he just opened himself up and dealt with his problems, head on, instead of running away from them. To her, nothing was too small or irrelevant to plague you; especially when a large part of your problem came in the very form of the people who were _supposed _to be your support system; your parents.

"I have been through a lot but so have you," she said finally, as he met her eyes and she tucked a blonde strand behind her ear. "I mean—why else would your entire family, _Damon included, _be worried about you, if they thought your biggest issue was forgetting to call the maid to do you dry cleaning?...What happened, Stefan?" she asked gently as he swallowed hard and Caroline lowered her tone just a bit more. "_Who was she?"_

Stefan didn't say a thing, as his thoughts flashed back to the brunette with the spiraled curls, thick black lashes, and devilish smile, as her chestnut eyes—even within his memory—taunted him; _teased him, relentlessly, _while he replayed the first time she'd walked towards him, over and over again in his mind.

She was beautiful—probably the most beautiful girl he'd ever known; and _brave_—as her hands brushed through her long brown locks and she demanded he order her drink if he was _just gonna sit there and stare at her from across the bar, all night._

Stefan laughed—nervously, mostly—but he complied, and the grin on her cheeks spread to his when she placed a hand on his broad shoulder and leaned in closer to his ear.

The soft breath, he still felt it even now, chilled down his bone as she spoke in a light whisper for no one but him to hear; and he barely would have heard it if he hadn't listened in so closely.

"_Is it gonna be your place or mine?"_

And that was all it took. Eight words and he would have been trapped until her spell for almost the next three years of his life.

_How pathetic._

"Stefan—"

He felt Caroline's hands press over his just as she set down her coffee but he still refused to look up as her thumbs gently coursed over his skin.

Because if he let Caroline in, she would—again—find some way to make his life her problem and he didn't want that. He didn't want her to have anything to do with this; with his parents, with his brother, and especially not her—

Especially not _Katherine._

"Klaus left me," Caroline blurted as he continued to look down and she let out a bitter laugh and a shrug of her shoulder. "He left me after I was willing to do _anything _for him. He… made I clear that I'd never be good enough for him—for his _dreams_—and one day, when I thought everything was perfectly fine…he picked up, packed his things, and moved to California—for his new job…and for a new woman," she said as she recollected their breakup in full and vivid color.

There was yelling—screaming, actually—as Caroline called him every name under the sun, and then some, as he walked out the door and officially out of her life. And somehow—even after the last and final time, she'd _still _believed that every day, he would come back, apologizing for the mistake he made and things would just go back to the way they had been.

_The way she believed they should be._

Her relationship with Klaus was never a great one—nor was it "healthy" by textbook standards, as she considered just how many lamps, glasses, and plates she'd gone through as she hurled them his direction in an argument, with his retaliation usually consisting of persistent manipulation and abuse—mentally and _physically._

Her fingers trembled as she went back to one of the more ruthless times it happened; when he decided calling her a _whore _wasn't enough and he subsequently pushed her against the wall by the throat. Her mouth gasped for a breath of air but he didn't stop—it seemed to _fuel _him that he was hurting her she realized, until finally, he let her fall to the ground on her knees. Where he would be the one to pick her back up again; to wipe her tears, pull her in for a hug, and tell her he was sorry but _this was all for her own good._

He said he called her a whore because she earned it. He believed he put his hands on her because she _needed _it.

And each and every single time, she believed every word that he said.

She didn't tell her friends—especially not Rebekah—because she didn't want them to judge her. She didn't want them to "help her," because in her opinion—she didn't need that. She needed the toxic, consuming, _love _that he gave her—and if she lost him because any of them suspected their problems went much deeper than the silly things she revealed on the surface, she would ruin everything.

Not just between she and Klaus; but with Bonnie, who would no doubt, find a way to make him pay for the injustices he did to her best friend. With Elena, who would try to make her seek therapy to deal with her addiction to him, though she liked her dependence just fine. And with Rebekah; his _sister, _who would either take her brother's side no matter what or disown him—causing Caroline to be the one who wrecked their bond and she just couldn't forgive herself if she was the one who came in between that.

She and Klaus were everything a relationship _wasn't _supposed to be; two people who'd been together for too long to let it go, even though there was nothing left and no happiness to show for all the time they had spent.

So when he finally left, she should have been happy; she should have been _thrilled _that the man who'd consumed her, since day one of their tumultuous affair, wanted out because finally, she had a reason to leave too.

She finally had a reason to _live._

But she wasn't happy, she realized—as she retreated to her couch the night of their breakup. She hadn't even told her friends about it—and apparently, neither had he—as she spent the night alone and drank herself to sleep with a bottle of rum and her cell phone in hand; calling him repeatedly, asking for another chance—just one more shot to prove to him that she could be the woman he wanted her to be, despite all she had done and everything she'd believed she put him through.

She left voicemails, sent text messages—the whole nine—but he'd never responded. She'd never even seen or talked to him until today, and even though she successfully made him feel like shit by making him believe that she'd actually moved on and married Stefan Salvatore, she still felt hollow on the inside.

She still felt like he took everything away from her and no matter how happy she tried to convince herself she could be, he would always have that; he'd always have the bits and pieces of her soul that she would never reclaim and it pained her to know that.

It killed her to admit that even after all this time he could still disrupt everything; just like Stefan's mysterious ex had, though he was the last to want to admit it.

She ruined him, Caroline knew—just like Klaus ruined her. And no matter how good they both were at avoidance, it wouldn't be long before it came to the surface and completely boiled over.

For Stefan, though, it may have been worse. Because Stefan couldn't even admit to having a problem, after all of this time.

Stefan couldn't admit to wanting a solution.

"—I know I sound like a broken record, Stefan, but I want to be here for you," he heard, as he caught the tail-end of Caroline's speech. "You were there for me today—I owe you—"

"You don't owe anyone anything; especially not me," he answered as the girl pursed her lips. "I owe you an apology for getting so angry in the car, truthfully… I'm sorry I snapped when you were just trying to help…"

"But?...What's the 'but?'"

"But you're crazy if you think I'm just gonna let you get even more involved with this when it's obvious you've done enough already, Care…We're not doing Damon's plan and faking our marriage just so I get to keep my trust fund. I know you just want to help but I'm an adult—and I'm going to handle this like one. Okay?"

"But what if I _want _to?" she asked as Stefan rose a brow. "What if I… think this isn't an _all-bad _idea and it might actually _work _if we decided it was what we wanted to do?"

"Then I'd say you're just as crazy as my brother."

"But you wouldn't say _no, _would you?" she questioned as she watched his eyes. "You wouldn't say no because even though this idea is insane, you know it can work. You know that this is the easiest way to get your parents off of your back—and my ex-boyfriend off of mine—"

"It's _wrong, _Caroline—everything about it is _wrong._"

"So was you kissing me in front of Klaus to drive the point home that we were 'together,' but that didn't stop you from doing it, now, did it?" she asked sharply as Stefan sighed. "Why _did _you kiss me, anyway?"

"I don't know, Caroline—maybe it felt right in the moment? Maybe I felt bad?"

"Gee, thanks," she rolled her eyes and he rubbed his temples.

"That's… maybe not what I meant…Or how I meant to say it, anyway—I…I meant that I did it because besides the fact that I perhaps got a little but caught up in all our pretending, I just…I saw the way he was looking at you—the way he made you feel like you were nothing and I didn't like it; I didn't like that he could still just do that you, even after all this time… Because you deserve better, Caroline… A lot better than him and much better than _me, _if you really want to be honest about it."

Caroline remained silent as she looked into Stefan's olive eyes and she quietly bit back the tears that threatened to emerge when she noted the calm sincerity in his voice; the fierce defensiveness in his voice, though it was something he never wanted to admit.

Stefan cared about her—seemingly, much more in the past five minutes than Klaud did, their entire relationship—and that meant a lot to her. Especially considering the fact that she didn't have very many men in her life who _really _did; who actually _cared._

Caroline's thoughts were interrupted again, when she felt their hands touching—this time, by _his _merit, as he wrapped her palms into his own and silently gazed at her; taking in all that there was in her eyes and then some, while the quiet continued to stifle them both.

Until he found the words he wanted to say again, of course.

"Caroline—I want to help you. I really do—"

"So _marry me_," she said abruptly as his eyes widened and she didn't back down in her words, though he was still staring at her like she was a chicken with her head cut off. "_Stay married to me, _Stefan—because you need to earn the twisted respect of your parents and _I _need to figure out a way to show Klaus I can be strong without him… Let's… stay married—"

"Caroline—"

"If you don't want to, it's fine… But just know that it's really the _only _thing that I want. And there really isn't a thing that can change my mind, at this point."

Before Stefan could respond, a thin woman with dark hair, matching eyes, and a messy ponytail was making her way into their direction—just as Damon was hanging up his phone and they were rising from their seats.

Her name badge read "Dr. Fell" and Caroline wondered if the stoic look on her gentle face meant they were about to hear the best of it or the worst of it.

Caroline figured they were about to find out when she stopped in her tracks with her clipboard; expression intact.

"Damon and Stefan Salvatore?" she asked, and when the brother's nodded, she extended her hand gracefully in both their directions for a quick shake before she spoke again. "I'm Doctor Meredith Fell; you can both follow me, and I will take you to see your grandmother."

"About time," Damon muttered beneath his breath as he began to take off and Stefan stopped when he saw Caroline hang back; her eyes urging him to go as she simply stood there—prepared to wait for the results again, of both his grandmother's condition and her own, when he decided whether or not the two would remain married.

Stefan cleared his throat and Dr. Fell spun around to meet him; his hands pulled slowly out of his Levi pockets.

"Would it too much to ask if Caroline could come to?" he asked softly as the doctor sighed. "I know there are rules—"

"And they extend to family only," Meredith replied firmly as she looked into his eyes. "If Caroline is family—"

"We're… married," Stefan forced out slowly, as he watched the surprise meet the doctor's face, the color drain from Caroline's, and the smirk that appeared across his brother's when he stopped in his tracks, taking in the height of his brother's words. "Caroline is my wife," he said before he turned to face the blonde who didn't have a bout of air in her lungs to release when he extended his hand and waited for her to take it, as well. "And I think it's time that she finally meets my family."

Caroline's mouth dropped a little bit before she cleared her throat; eyeing the still very shocked Dr. Fell before offering a nod—her confirmation—that Stefan was telling the truth. Her eyes danced briefly to Damon, who was grinning like the bastard he was, before he grabbed onto Stefan's hand graciously—the weight of her fingers falling to his as he held her tightly and pulled her in closer; pulled her in beside _him._

"We weren't sure this was the right time to announce it—what, with his grandmother being ill—"

"No need to explain; follow me," Meredith said much softer as she eyed Caroline and the blonde cleared her throat when she looked into Stefan's eyes and he nodded before they finally took off.

Damon barely contained his smirk while the two walked quietly—side-by-side and down the corridor to his grandma's room; Caroline's heart racing all the while.

When they walked in, however, Theresa Salvatore was sleeping quietly while his parents—Giuseppe and Mary—were speaking in hushed whispers before finally turning to face the doorway to meet the eyes of both of their sons as well as their untimely guest.

Caroline—for what she wished was the first time today—felt like a deer in headlights as silence washed over the room and everyone, barring Damon and Stefan, were staring at her, as if she'd been indecent enough to show up in just her underwear.

She might as well have, considering the looks his parents were giving her.

"And after all that waiting, she's _sleeping,_" Damon mused to break the ice, as he made his way over to the older woman's bed and gave her a gentle kiss on the head. "Looks like you're gonna miss the show," he whispered before looking up at Meredith and raising a brow. "What's she on, by the way?"

"It's morphine," Dr. Fell said as Damon responded with a more than curious look on his face. "It, uhm—helps with the—"

"We have it from here, thank you," Giuseppe said as the doctor nodded at that as her cue to exit when she realized Giuseppe Salvatore wanted to handle the explanation himself.

And because _he was who he was, _she had no choice but to let him.

"I'll give you all a few minutes," Meredith said as she left with the nurse behind her and Stefan pulled in a deep sigh as he let go of Caroline's hand the minute Damon freed his grandmother, just so he could reach in and give her an embrace of his own.

Caroline watched on with a soft smile as she observed the genuine joy in both Damon and Stefan's eyes as they showered the unconscious woman with kisses, as if she had been awake and lively, just the same.

"Why is she on morphine?" Damon asked again as his eyes finally peeled away from his grandmother and to his parents. "That's pretty heavy stuff for someone you say _'only had an asthma attack.'"_

"Heavy indeed, and we'll get to that, but first," Giuseppe said as Damon ticked his jaw and his father pressed his palms together, "I see we have company and neither your mother or I have been properly introduced. I'm sure your guest takes great offense to your less-than-subpar hosting skills, Stefan."

"What can I say? I learned from the worst," Stefan replied plainly before sighing and moving right next to Caroline. "Mom, Dad—this is Caroline. Caroline Forbes. She's, uh—somebody that I know quite well from that time I interned in Washington, D.C—"

"Ah-you mean the last time you seemed to be on a productive path with your life," his father quipped immediately and Stefan didn't say a word as he watched him charismatically reached a hand out to Caroline's before he shook it and offered her a smile. "Giuseppe. Giuseppe Salvatore. Pleased to meet you, though I'm not sure what it is at all that you're doing with my son."

Caroline feigned a grin as his slick words and bit her tongue as she shook his hand; pulling it back quickly as she felt a chill cast over her when she looked into his pale blue eyes.

It was safe to say Stefan wasn't lying when he told her about his parents; not his dad, at least. This guy was already a certified douchebag.

"And I'm Mary Salvatore," his mother introduced herself too—her dark auburn hair pulled into a tight bun, and her bright green eyes reflecting off of her pale skin as the beautiful woman, no doubt dressed in Christian Dior from top to bottom, gave Caroline the once over. "Are you from New York?"

"I wish—I'm from Virginia," Caroline smiled brightly as she released her hand. "Some small town called Mystic Falls, actually—"

"I see," Mary said dismissively before turning her attention to Stefan as if Caroline wasn't in the room and addressing him directly. "Dear, we have some important things to discuss with you and your brother about this family—and it'd be better if your _friend_ weren't here."

"Caroline isn't a _friend, _mom—she's actually a little bit more than that," Stefan replied as his mother licked her lips and he folded his arms. "And I know you have a bit of a problem addressing people—ones you think are _beneath _you but I can assure you that she's not. Caroline is important."

Stefan's parents both looked at each other for a moment before his dad placed a hand on his shoulder with a manufactured smile—the one Stefan had grown to loathe since quite possibly the day he had exited his mother's womb.

_Maybe even before._

"If you want your _girlfriend _to _stay, _there's no problem with escorting her to the hall—"

"I'm actually his wife," Caroline finally cut in as she watched the looks of shock and surprise surmount on _both _of his parents faces when the blonde gripped onto his hand even tighter and stood taller; the air in the room thinning quickly as both of their mouths became quite literally agape. "If Stefan wants me here to support him, I don't have any other choice than to stand by my husband. Isn't that what marriage is about, sweetheart?" she asked as she turned his way and he looked into her eyes.

Stefan only nodded in response—this time, _his _movements cut off, as Caroline drew him in closer by the face with her palm and kissed his lips softly. His eyes shut the minute their mouths meant in the not-so-quick lock that sent his mind into a fog and her lips into a fiery dizzy the moment she pulled away with a smile and looked to his parents—who _still _just couldn't believe anything that they were seeing.

Stefan wouldn't have believed it either if he hadn't _felt it._

And Caroline wouldn't have believed it, either, if she hadn't had _done it._

**A/N: Hey guys! So this chapter is much shorter than usual but I really wanted to update so I decided to leave it at the cliffhanger that I did, just to get your minds reeling for what exactly is going to happen next time. ;) What do you think Stefan's parents will say or do once they find out he's married? What about Caroline's friends and family? Do you think they'll be able to pull this off? If so, how long before it starts to become more real for one, the other, or both? So many questions! And what did you think about Caroline's past with Klaus and—surprise—most of you being right about Stefan's ex being Katherine? What do you think she did to him and how long until word gets around New York that her ex is engaged and she comes knocking? As always, thank you SO MUCH for your reviews. I really do love and appreciate you guys for giving me feedback and trust me—I read every single thing that you say and take it into consideration. There will be plenty more characters popping up and perhaps some other romances starting soon. ;) Let me know what you liked, didn't like, thought, etc. and I shall see you all next time! xoxo**


	5. Confessions

**Confessions**

_Caroline's eyes fluttered shut softly, as one hand tightened around the tendrils of his hair and the other across the sheets. Her faint moan filled and echoed in the mid-size bedroom; soft beads of sweat collecting on her forehead and the rest of it slowly forming down her back and encasing her spine._

_He pulled her legs in harder—tighter—around his shoulders, before his hands continued to press her frame to the bed and before he knew it, it was happening._

_She was coming—loudly, intensely, and satisfyingly as he listened to her strew out an entire line of curse words that she definitely couldn't carry with her to church; or better yet, even repeat in front of her mother._

_For someone with such a bubbly, friendly, and cheerful tone, she definitely knew how to talk dirty. And right now? He wasn't even witnessing the half of it._

"…_God damn't," she finished breathlessly as she inhaled—his tongue still creating a trail along her skin as she trembled._

_The girl finally erupted within a fit of laughter and pushed him away as he wiped his mouth._

_He smiled as he watched her finally regain the energy to sit up on the lazy Friday night—her chest perfectly rounded and bouncing, much to his delight—as she searched for her bra and underwear the second she hopped up out of the bed._

"_You've definitely outdone yourself," she said, as she shimmied into the pink lace and brushed back her blonde curls as she was sure they were finally every which way then the one they needed to be. "And now I'm exhausted."_

"_So, get your ass back in this bed, then," he tempted, as he stood to his feet and pulled her in from behind; his lips suctioning to her neck and tongue trailing her ear while he spoke to her in-between kisses. "My aim isn't to only make you 'exhausted' but to ensure that you believe you've been paralyzed; stuck here, for an eternity with _me._"_

_Caroline grinned at that as she felt his mouth dropping slow but passionate kisses along her shoulders; his finger gently lowering the straps of her bra while he placed a few on her back as well. Before he could get her naked again she stopped him; with a grab of his hands within her fingers and a slow turn to meet his blue eyes as her cherry lips housed a smirk that drove him absolutely wild._

_He wanted those lips to be against his own._

_And many other places._

"_Can I get a drink first before you even _think _about discussing another round? I'm parched," she said, to which he threw up his hands in defeat and Caroline smirked at her own victory while she moved through the bedroom and out the door to his kitchen. _

_She threw open the black door and bit her lip as she searched for the water but only found vodka, beer, and Red Bull as her eyes casted through._

_Red Bull would have to do. Besides—she needed the energy, she figured._

_When she cracked open the can and took a sip, she heard his footsteps enter the room as well and Caroline grinned against the drink while she shamelessly surveyed his abs and took in the rest of his frame._

_Good thing for her, he had decided against putting back on his boxers._

_There was silence in the kitchen as he silently headed towards her and Caroline took in a deep breath as her back pressed to the wall and him to her; her drink barely still in her hands as he relieved her of it and put it on the counter._

_Her skin warmed when he placed his hands to her hips—grinding his fingers into her thighs—before she finally spoke and he knew exactly what she was going to say._

_The same thing she had been saying for the past month since this entire thing even started._

"_Rebekah is going to kill us if she finds out," Caroline whispered when she looked into his eyes and he sent her an amused smirk. "I mean—of all the people in town she told me to stay away from, _you _were at the top of the list… She might have even been happier if I decided to have a threesome with Elijah and Kol."_

_Klaus smiled at that as he remembered the short but firm words of his baby sister the first time he made himself into the town of Mystic Falls after having not seen her or the rest of his family for years, when he was living abroad._

"_Do not fuck any of my friends. Caroline, especially," Rebekah nudged him with her finger, with a serious look in her eye and a smirk lying just beyond his. "You're bad news for every woman you get into. Pun absolutely intended."_

_And it was then Klaus decided to take her words as a challenge, because what else what could he do when somebody was telling him not to do something? Rebekah's words were like ammo._

_He immediately took a liking to Caroline Forbes the very first night he saw her bartending at Mystic Falls' only bar and grill and the second he saw her climb atop the counter and dance to whatever song the band was playing, he was hooked._

_Caroline would be his and there was nothing his damned sister could ever say about it; especially not when they'd already made eyes for the fifth time that night and she was silently—but flirtatiously—offering him free drinks each time her friends turned a blind eye._

_She was instantly into him—just like he was into her—and before they knew it, he'd be _into her _many others ways as she finally stopped fighting the hesitation by the third night she'd seen him and followed him back to his place, much against her better judgment and ridiculously thinned sense of control._

_And here they were, nearly a month later, still sneaking around behind his sister and her best friend's back but he couldn't say that he regretted it at all._

_Caroline was fun, Caroline was free; she was nothing like anyone he'd ever met before and though he originally deemed her a bit too bright and neurotic for his tastes, she was good in bed and her enthusiasm wouldn't bother him as long as she was putting it to good use._

_For now._

"_I don't care what my sister thinks," Klaus said as she felt him press harder to her—making her _everything _water. "I like you, Caroline—I like whatever this is that we have."_

"_An arrangement, to be honest," she said and he pouted as he met her eyes. "What? Don't act like it's anything more than us _sexually _enjoying each other's company. I know I'm not your type."_

"_And how would you know that? I'm new around here. It's not like you have anything to compare yourself to."_

"_Other than the extremely gorgeous European models you were banging while you were overseas," she said as his brows rose. "I… might have stalked your Facebook," she confessed. _

"_Well then, if you were any good at stalking, you'd know they were all in the past and neither of which my girlfriends… I'm looking for something a bit more serious—more long-term—and perhaps I could find that with you, one day. If you ever stop being afraid of what my sister will think."_

_Caroline bit her lip as his hand smoothed back her curls and he blessed her with a deep kiss on the lips and thrilled her much more than it should have, as it made every hair on her body stand on end._

_The kiss didn't stop there as she felt his free hand reach down towards her underwear and tear the flimsy thing off, just before he rubbed slowly against her skin. They couldn't get back to his bedroom fast enough, as he hoisted her up into his arms and led her back into his bed, where Caroline took him into her mouth for a bit before lining him with some protection._

_Rebekah was going to kill him—both of them—if she ever pulled her head out of her on-again/off-again boyfriend's ass long enough to notice, but by then it'd be too late to do anything but weep about it._

_Caroline was enamored by him; completely taken by his English charm, and his baby sister was just going to have to deal with the fact that when Klaus wanted something, he got it._

_He _always _got his way._

"_You're beautiful," he whispered into her ear as he pushed tightly into her and Caroline clawed his back. "Any man in this universe would be considered a millionaire if he had you."_

_Caroline smiled at that as her eyes closed and they continued on in silence for a minute or so before she finally chose to speak._

As Klaus downed his glass of Johnnie Walker at the bar, the words rang clearly within his mind—and still, until this day—while his fingers gripped the glass so tightly, he was five seconds away from completely crushing it.

"_My friend, Stefan always used to say that," she replied with a quaint smile. "I guess I just never really believed it was true until now."_

_Stefan. Who the hell was Stefan?_

Klaus licked his lips as he pushed the glass across the counter and as his frustration began to mount; his _anger _began to resurface when he saw them in Las Vegas, hand in hand and lip against lip, with that damned wedding ring on her finger that shone ever-so-teasingly during the afternoon sun.

Caroline was married—married to the man she'd _mentioned _just that _once_ to him, and Klaus could do nothing but laugh as he considered it an ironic—and alarming—twist of fate that he had not seen this coming.

But had anyone, really? Was he the only fool who'd had no clue that his ex-girlfriend was on the verge of getting _married_ and no one—not even his beloved sister—decided it would be within her business to _tell _him? Why didn't anyone tell him?

"I thought you weren't homebound until next week," he heard as he spun on his bar stool to meet the hardened eyes of a familiar blonde, who folded her arms across her chest and took a deep breath in before making her way over. "Or maybe that was what you said the _last time—_I'm not quite sure. I never really know when you're coming on going these days, so it's possible I've had my wires crossed."

Klaus smirked softly as Rebekah took a seat beside him at the Mystic Grill; her finger immediately signaling for a beer before she turned to face him with a ticked jaw.

The last time he'd seen Rebekah was when he broke up with Caroline and he could understand why his sister was less than thrilled that he'd shown back up, unannounced, and expected her to cancel the rest of her schedule for the night just to see him.

In his defense, she only had a marathon of _Sleepy Hollow _planned, so it wasn't like he truly believed he was interrupting much else. Rebekah, of course, saw otherwise.

"What do you want? You know I don't like coming here," she said as she eyed the blonde bartender with the sea blue eyes, who was making sure to keep his distance on what seemed like another _planet, _the second he watched her walk in. "Bad memories, and all."

Klaus sent a quick look to Matt Donovan, who was pouring a frosty mug of beer for some girl who looked to be flirting him and he rolled his eyes when he turned back to his sister.

"All this time and you're still not over that Country Bumpkin Ken Doll?"

"You're one to talk," she shot back with reddened cheeks as Klaus pursed his lips. "Seeing as I know you only called me here to bug me about Caroline, so have at it. What the hell do you feel entitled to know about, now? You realize you dumped her—high and dry for Camille—_right?_"

"Did you know she was getting _married?_" he nearly shouted. "To that _Stefan, _fellow, of all people? Who the hell is he anyway? How did this happen?"

Rebekah swallowed hard as she remembered the frantic text message from her best friend earlier in the day, telling she, Bonnie, and Elena _not _to answer any questions—especially not Klaus'—and when her brother called her up, screaming about meeting Caroline's new _husband _she had quickly figured out why.

Caroline went and got drunk-married and now? She was pretending as if it were _real._

The entire plane ride home, Rebekah racked her mind as to what she would say—or do—when this situation presented itself. The girls hadn't been able to get anything but Caroline's voicemail the second they landed and wanted to demand answers so for now, they'd have to find a way not to trip themselves up until she called them back and told them exactly what they should do.

While Bonnie and Elena earnestly believed that there must have been _some _misunderstanding, Rebekah knew better; she knew Caroline was milking her mistake—whether it be to intentionally piss Klaus off or not—and it was better for everyone if they just pretended to know about it all along, instead of allowing the girl to look like a fool; especially to her overly protective—and controlling—brother, Niklaus.

Rebekah hated lying—particularly to her brother—but desperate times called for desperate measures. She'd been less than thrilled with him for pursuing her best friend in the first place and after he broke her heart, she refused to speak to him for almost an entire two months. If anyone was going to teach this guy a lesson when it came to messing with hearts, it needed to be Caroline.

Lucky for her, his sister was undoubtedly taking her side in this. There was nothing she loved more than watching her brother's cosmic karma come back to bite him in the ass just when he thought he was the king of everything.

Which he absolutely did.

"Stefan was one of her friends back when she interned in D.C," Rebekah said as she recalled the bits and pieces of her conversation with him in Las Vegas when she asked him just how he knew her best friend. "They have history together-it's not odd at all that she saw him again and things picked back up where they left off… He was kind of her soul mate."

Klaus fumed at that, remembering the one time Caroline ever mentioned the fucker, as Rebekah sipped the beer that was slid before her, never dropping from his eyes. If there was any way to get Klaus upset it was to make it known that he wasn't first choice. He thrived on being the number one and only option; he got off on knowing that it'd be damn near impossible for any of his conquests to get over him.

Inside, he was reeling that Caroline, of all people, had. She was supposed to be his. He'd always planned on coming back to her.

"Bullshit," Klaus said as he started his next drink and Rebekah licked her lips. "You all didn't even go to the wedding—it was apparently 'private'—"

"Because she didn't need us there," Rebekah said as he looked to the ground and tried his best to digest his thoughts. "You know better than anyone that when Caroline wants something, she'll go for it… She wanted him, Nik. She's cared about him for all these years—even when you _were _in the picture… That kind of thing just doesn't go away overnight, of course."

Klaus gulped as the blonde finished off her drink, stood to her feet and reached into her purse to pay the bill. He stopped her with his hand as he waved a Benjamin Franklin and she smiled before patting his shoulder and pulling out her car keys.

"Wanna go for a joyride, like old times? I've finally mastered stick shift," she changed the subject.

"I think I'm going to stick around… get my money's worth," he said still holding the bill and she rolled her eyes before giving him a quick kiss on the forehead and pinching his scruffy cheek.

"Fine, whatever. Suit yourself… But do me a favor, Nik—"

"Anything for you, darling," he said through his teeth and Rebekah watched his eyes.

Don't ruin this for her. She's _happy_. Okay? If you two were meant to be, you would have been… Be the bigger man and offer her your blessings when she comes back."

Klaus feigned a smile at that as he watched his sister walk out and he snorted before pulling out his iPhone and typing a few quick words into the Google search bar that immediately sprung up onto his screen.

_Stefan Salvatore._

As if he even knew a thing about "being the bigger man," and letting type of shit go. Rebekah was definitely dreaming if she thought he was going to let some blast from the past take what was rightfully _his, _when he had every intention of coming all the way back here for it when he was honest and ready for it.

Caroline was the woman he loved; the woman he _claimed. _Married or not, he would always be in her life and if he wanted to have his way, it was time for him to figure out how to rid Stefan from hers.

But first—he needed to do a little research on his prey.

He was met with a myriad of pages, articles and pictures of the man he'd seen Caroline with earlier; instantly finding out that his family was famous in New York for being a string of socialites, and his father had done a bunch of dealings with the company Klaus was now working for. His mother was also a corporate HBIC, and his brother, Damon, was a lawyer—handling the cases and management of many very successful entertainment acts; his name being immediately tied to success with whatever he did and instantly revered wherever he decided to go.

_And then there was Stefan._

An ex-polo captain from Harvard, where he'd been valedictorian and his parents more than doubled the school's already massive endowment. He was a humanitarian, apparently, as most news articles hinted towards Stefan being a lamb amongst wolves, when steadily compared to the rest of the Salvatore's and wealthy socialites across the city.

According to everything he read, Stefan was actually a "good person," which made Klaus snort even more as he continued in his studies. There had to be something on this guy that was less than savory and he wouldn't stop digging until he found.

_There had to be something._

Klaus' finger stopped scrolling when he saw a girl—a drop-dead gorgeous one, at that, named _Katherine Pierce, _who had eyes to drown in and legs to kill, appear on the screen.

It was easy to comprehend through the pictures that this had been Stefan's girlfriend at some point or another. The paparazzi photographed them most times just walking through the city with her miniature poodle or on the contrast, on vacation in Aspen—as the girl appeared naked in a hot tub and giving Stefan more than just a sneak peek, as far as the tabloids could see.

Klaus chuckled.

He continued to scroll through the news articles until his fingers bled—taking in every bit of information that he could—while taking another sip of his drink and remaining his eyes focused on the page.

He was going to get to the bottom of this—and Stefan—if it were the very last thing that he did. But if he were going to take them down, he may as well do the investigation and get every single dirty little fact straight first.

It was going to be a long night.

XXXXX

"Come again?" Stefan's mother asked with wide eyes as she gripped her pearls and her eyes bounced back and forth between the newlyweds who'd slowly just departed lips. "You're _married?_"

"Happy?" Stefan said smoothly, as his parents stared at him—and his _wife_—like they had a combined ten heads and silence filled the room. "You always thought I was doing _nothing _with my life but now? I'm a married man. I took a deep plunge, I—"

"Lost your goddamn mind, Stefan!" his father erupted as he looked into his eyes and shook his head. "You're married, Stefan—to a _stranger_—and not once did you think to tell your mother or I—"

"What, so you could stop me from doing it?" he asked in response as he looked into his eyes. "When are you gonna realize that this is _my life, _Dad? You can't hold my hand through every decision I make. I'm not gonna inform you about everything I _do_—"

"But _surely _you wouldn't do _this _without telling us, would you?" Mary asked with frightful eyes as she glanced between him and Caroline. "Stefan, we _barely know her_—"

"She is standing right in front of you, Mom! Stop speaking about her in the third person," Stefan said through his teeth.

"Caroline would be better spared our judgment right now," his mother combated, as she shortly looked in the girl's eyes with thinly veiled disgust. "Besides—_you _are our son; our _family_…Not _her._"

"That's where you're wrong, mom," Damon finally chimed in as he left his grandmother's side and joined the group at the center of the room. "Caroline _is _family now—she's your daughter-in-law, whether you two choose to accept it or not."

"We're not accepting it," Giuseppe said boldly as Stefan's mouth dropped and his father shook his head. "I'm sure you're a nice girl, Caroline, but…" his father trailed off as Stefan folded his arms and waited for the rest.

"But what, Dad? For a guy who has no problem telling me I've amounted to _nothing _in life, you sure have gotten pretty shy—"

"I'm not going to engage you when you're like this, Stefan. I'm sorry, Caroline, but you need to go—"

"She's not going anywhere," Stefan replied. "She's here for a reason—"

"What, as a prop for your year-long rebellion, son?" his mother asked as Caroline ticked her jaw. "She… doesn't belong here and it shows," Mary continued with judgmental eyes before Caroline finally let out a scoff and shook her head.

"Mom, _really_?" Stefan asked in disbelief as he watched the blonde getting ready to charge out. "Caroline—I'm sorry—"

"So am I, Stefan, but I think they've made it pretty clear where they stand," Caroline finally said before excusing her from the room and Stefan sighed before going after her.

Giuseppe and Mary watched on in silence as the door slammed behind them and Damon raised both brows before crossing his arms over his chest and offering the best look of disapproval for his parent's behavior that he could muster.

Not that it was very hard, or anything; his parents were assholes. He'd more than learned from the best.

"Wow, that was warm and welcoming; letting Caroline that you think she's too trashy to be with your son… Are there gonna desserts after this?" he asked and Giuseppe licked his teeth before looking into Damon's eyes.

"We didn't call her _trash, _Damon—we simply just don't believe she is _right_—"

"Based on _what? _The way she breathed in _your air?_ She barely said two words before you two attacked her like vultures—"

"She didn't have to," Mary answered complacently. "She's pretty, Damon, but—"

"How could you allow this to happen?" his father asked firmly as he took a step in and crowded his space. "Your little brother, Damon—you've allowed him to go off to Vegas during _your _birthday weekend and wed a goddamn _floozy_—"

"Who says they married in Vegas?" Damon lied as his father's eyes widened and he watched his mother pop one of her anxiety pills from the corner of his eye. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but Stefan and Caroline have been married for a _month _now, Dad and to be honest? I understand why they kept it from you for so long… They kept it under wraps because they knew you too would _never _accept it—"

"That's simply not true, Damon," Mary replied. "We've always supported your brother. We've never stopped looking out for his best interests—"

"Was that before or after you treated him like a castaway in his own family? Was that before or after you _humiliated _him by taking in that disease of an ex-girlfriend of his, like _she _was your own, instead of him?" Damon asked hotly as he bounced between their eyes. "She ruined his life and you know it. You two will _never _admit to being wrong about her, will you?—"

"Katherine loved him," Giuseppe said stoically. "She was the best thing to happen to Stefan—"

"No, she was the best thing to happen to _you, _Dad," Damon snapped back before his father took him by the throat and shoved him hard against the wall.

Damon's look of rage never softened as he watched Giuseppe staring at him angrily—only finally releasing his grip once Mary pried him off and Damon shook his head.

It wasn't the first time he'd nearly comes to blows with his father over Stefan and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. Lucky for his brother, Damon was just about ready to put on his war paint.

"Katherine was horrible—and you were wrong for treating her better than you did your own son," Damon said calmly. "But this is your chance to fix that-_Caroline _is your chance to fix everything," Damon shot back as both his parents remained silent and he released his fist. "And if you know what's best for him—and for Grandma—you'll welcome her with open arms. If not? Then you can _both _just stay the hell out of his life… I'll be the one to take care of him from now on. I'm sure the press would love to hear about all the ways that you've failed him."

Before either of them could respond, Damon turned on his foot and walked out of the room. But not before giving his grandmother a kiss on the forehead and whispering that he'd back tomorrow.

When he made his way down the stairs, he halted in his step as he saw Stefan and Caroline talking; the blonde batting away tears that were in her eyes as his brother tried his best to soothe her and he simply watched from afar.

If he remained perfectly still and silent, he could make out just about everything they were saying.

Stefan had been good at reluctantly lying in the past but Damon was better; far better. And if there was anyone who knew how to manipulate their parents into thinking things were more evolved than they were, it was Damon.

He'd been playing them like a fucking fiddle ever since he was the age of ten.

He mentally noted the place he was going to have to get a forged marriage certificate from, just in case his parents wanted to see the proof. With the kind of pull Damon had wherever he went, he could get his parents _DNA samples _if it came down to it.

It paid to know everything and be respected by everyone.

If they were going to convince his parents that this was _real _and not just some drunken mistake—like it had been—they were definitely going to need his help when it came to covering up just how it really happened. And with that little stunt he pulled back there—playing on Giuseppe and Mary Salvatore's inadequacy as parents, his work was nearly cut out for him.

_And now? It was only a matter of time._

XXXXX

"I'm sorry," Caroline said profusely as she looked into Stefan's green eyes and he frowned. "I'm so sorry I ruined everything. I thought it'd be a good idea but it wasn't. I ruined _everything_—"

"You didn't," Stefan said soothingly, as his fingers brushed her hair and Caroline hiccupped back a cry. "Caroline—you were only trying to help me. And I appreciate that, _so much_—"

"But you were right! Stefan, you warned me; you _asked me _to stay out of it but I didn't," she said as angry tears streamed her red cheeks and she wiped them away furiously as she started to pace the floor. "I thought it would be a cakewalk like it was fooling Klaus. I was tougher than I am—"

"Caroline," Stefan finally stopped her by the shoulders as she stared into his eyes—a mix of mint and olive shining sincerely as they gazed back into her own—"You _are _tough, okay? Much tougher than you give yourself credit for, honestly… And I know my parents disrespected you back there but I'm sorry, okay? I really am sorry that I brought you into this entire mess… You deserve a lot better than them. And me—I should have known better than to bring you into my screwed up world."

"It wasn't your choice, Stefan, it was mine," Caroline replied as he looked to the ground. "We made this mistake together, okay? We'll deal with together, too."

Stefan nodded at that as he finally looked up and Caroline was continuing to wipe her eyes.

The only good thing that _could _have come from this plan would have been his parents finally getting off of his back, but it seemed like they couldn't even get that to happen with the faux marriage.

Giuseppe and Mary still thought he was a degenerate, his grandmother was still dying, and the minute Caroline went back to Mystic Falls alone—and divorced—her ex would be on her case quicker than anything, as if he'd been waiting for her failure to happen.

Nothing was going as planned but Stefan couldn't say that he was too shocked about that at all, either. On the outside, his privileged life was one of modern-day Disney Prince, but on the inside? It was all wrong.

Maybe he really was a failure like his father had penned him; a "lost cause" like the rest of his family deemed him to be. Maybe he should stop acting like his personality—like his _life —_could go back to the way they were before Katherine tempered with it. Maybe he could stop pretending like he'd ever be "whole" again when he was just as fucked up psychologically as he had been since that one day before.

No wonder his entire family thought he was losing it—because he absolutely _was._

_What the hell had he been on, thinking his parents would have ever just taken this and decided to be happy for him?_

"We can't just give up," Caroline finally said, much to his surprise as he looked into her eyes. "I mean—your parents are _awful, _Stefan; some of the worst people I've met but… it doesn't mean I don't want to help you—"

"No," Stefan dismissed her as she looked into his eyes. "I appreciate it, Caroline—really. But you don't wanna push my parents—"

"_So what about if we _pull _them?" _Stefan and Caroline heard, as they both looked up to see Damon descending from the spiraled case with a devious look in his eyes and his hands lamented to his pockets.

Stefan sighed. Had his brother really been listening to them talk this entire time?

"Damon," he said strongly, as he brother seemed to waltz right in. "I'm thankful for your commentary and for whatever rude shit you said to Mom and Dad because I know that's your forte—"Damon winked as Stefan sighed, "But we're not doing this anymore, okay? It was a dumb plan—"

"Not dumb, but _horrifically _executed, like honestly—were you two expecting that little outburst in the middle of Grandma's _hospital room _to work? Clearly, you don't know Mary and Giuseppe—"

"I know that I'm done trying to live up to their standards," Stefan replied as Damon rolled his eyes. "I can't do anything right by them it seems—"

"Maybe not—but your little Sunshine Princess over here _can_," Damon mused as he looked into Caroline's blue eyes before leaning in to wipe away her fudged mascara with his thumb. "If she learns how to not only _look _the part, but how to _be it._"

Caroline huffed softly at that as Damon's smirk widened and she turned to look at Stefan. She wasn't sure just what his brother was aiming at but she wasn't sure if she liked it.

Actually—she didn't like much that came out of Damon's mouth, if she thought truthfully.

"What are you saying, Damon?" Stefan asked straight-forwardly. "There's nothing wrong with Caroline, if that's what you're implying—"

"'_Nothing,' _except she looks like the kind of girl who buys perfume on clearance and wouldn't know a sales rack from Saks Fifth if you slapped her across the face with it—no offense," he said as Caroline scowled. "It's bad enough that you're from that _dumpy _town called Mystic Falls, where's everybody's cousins probably marry each other—"

"Is that _really _what you think we do down there? Marry our _cousins? _I'm just a southerner, Damon—not an advocate for _incest_—"

"Same difference when you're here in New York, _sweetie. _I can practically hear your banjo trailing behind you—"

"_You really are an ignorant piece of sh—"_

"Okay is there a point to this?" Stefan stepped between the two as he let out an exasperated breath. "Honestly, Damon; _what is your point?"_

Damon licked his teeth as he watched a fuming Caroline Forbes and a fed-up Stefan Salvatore, before he pulled out his cell phone, typed a quick message to his brother, and watched on as his confused eyes squinted he minute he heard his iPhone chime.

_What the hell?_

"Call that number tomorrow morning; 8:45. No earlier, no later," he said as he looked into Caroline's eyes and the girl frowned. "You have a full day ahead of you."

"And where are you going?" Stefan asked, as his brother began to walk off. "Are you not coming back to your apartment?"

Damon smirked at that as he sent another text-message; this time not to Stefan, as he looked up into both of their eyes and tucked his phone away into his back pocket before straightening his jacket.

His eyes were daunting as he made his way around them and to the doors that led to the exit of the hospital.

Stefan and Caroline watched on all the while.

"I have plans tonight—the girl from the Apple store that I met… She's got a few new advances that she wants to show me."

"Meaning you're gonna be out all night," Stefan said dryly and Damon winked instantly.

"You damn right I am. So take care of my apartment," he warned just before stopping as he was walking out. "Oh! And uh… don't have any kids, while you're at it? I know you're married and all, I'm not ready to be an uncle. I have a ten years left in me before I even want to _think _about wiping up any snot—"

"Ew, Damon," Caroline scoffed and he smiled.

"_Ta-ta!"_

Caroline and Stefan watched on silently as his brother disappeared before he finally turned to her and said "I can out you up in a hotel if you want—"

"And miss the chance to mess with Damon's shit?" she replied immediately as she headed for the door. "You're joking, right? Let's go."

And without another word, they were off.

XXXXX

"_This is unreal,_" Caroline said on the phone, as she looked out the window from Damon's guest bedroom—her eyes casting on the entire city that was illuminated with the bright lights of every building and skyscraper here on the East-Side of Manhattan.

Caroline had seen New York on T.V, but not like _this—_not as she watched it, captivated from her windowsill—taking it all in, as if it were the last time she'd ever see it again.

Because for all she knew, it was. And there was no better plan than to take advantage of this while she still could—_while her life was in complete and total ruins._

"I've never seen anything like this," Caroline continued to muse, as her blue eyes followed the crowds of people below—who were hustling and bustling like it wasn't already 2 AM. "New York is _beautiful_—"

"Alright, _Little Orphan Annie, _I get the point," Bonnie laughed over the speaker phone as Caroline smiled. "You _love _the Big Apple and you're having the time of your life taking it all in from Damon's ridiculous penthouse or whatever but can we talk about the massive elephant in the room? Like the fact that you're _married_?" her best friend said as she twirled her hair. "Honestly, Care? What were you thinking?"

"Trust me, I wasn't. I was drunk," Caroline admitted as Bonnie sighed. "Talk about doing the most predictable and cliché thing in Vegas that I _ever _could have done—"

"Seriously," Bonnie agreed. "But at least you can get it annulled, right? I mean, you're not _really _gonna stay married, are you?"

Caroline hesitated a bit too long before she heard Bonnie let out a deep sigh and physically rub her temples—_for the second time—_as she always did when Caroline was on the verge of making a huge mistake.

This time was no different.

"_Caroline_—"

"There is a really long and interesting story as to why that's _not _gonna happen, just yet, and I promise I will call you and Rebekah and Elena to explain tomorrow, but—"

"This is about Klaus, isn't it?" Bonnie asked as Caroline chewed her lip. "Hon—you can't let him have so much control over you that you're willing to do something _this insane _just to make him_ jealous—"_

"I know," Caroline said, as she recalled the text message she'd read from Rebekah just before, informing her that her brother was losing his shit and if this was what she had wanted, she'd easily gotten her wish.

Too bad Rebekah was the spiteful one and Bonnie was the voice of reason—she could have benefited from some malevolent _agreement, _right now, as opposed to Bonnie's moral—and completely right, if she were honest—wisdom.

Caroline _shouldn't _give Klaus this much control or power over her; by letting him anger her so much into remaining _fake married._

But the more she thought about this, the more she realized it wasn't _just _about her or Klaus and in her mind that made everything that she was doing okay.

Sure, Stefan's parents reduced her to tears upon first meeting but she would have thicker skin next time. And if Damon was half as deceitful as she believed him to be, whatever plan he had in the works for tomorrow was definitely slated to work.

She wasn't going to give up just yet and she was definitely going to see this through, for Stefan's sake, if that was all she had left. Making Klaus angry, remorseful, and regretful would be just an added bonus.

_Watching Klaus seethe would just be the icing on the metaphorical cake._

"So why are you _still _married? And in New York? Is there something I'm missing?"

"I—"Caroline started, only to halt her words the moment Stefan walked into the guest bedroom in nothing more than his boxers, apologetically flashing her smile before he made his way over the to the dresser and started to rummage through the drawers. "I….will call you tomorrow, Bon, okay? I promise."

"Fine," her friend huffed tiredly over the line. "Make sure you do something cool and touristy for me while you're there—I am unofficially living through at this very moment," Bonnie warned jokingly as Caroline laughed softly; her eyes still trailing over Stefan's sculpted Olympian back.

_Oh, how lucky Bonnie would have been to see what she was seeing right now._

"I promise to do something _touristy _and take tons of pictures so you feel like you were actually here, okay?... I love you, Bon."

"I love you too, Care. Sleep well."

"You too," Caroline chirped before hanging up the phone and plopping down on the king sized bed as she watched Stefan pull on a t-shirt—much to her dismay before turning around and meeting her eyes.

Caroline cleared her throat tightly before flashing him an awkward smile and Stefan smiled back as silence passed between them before he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry to intrude but this is usually where I stay," he noted. "Hence all of the clothes and stuff—"

"Oh," Caroline nodded as she glanced around the room; definitely noticing a semblance of _Stefan _in the air as she looked at the books on the shelf and smelled even the faint trace of his cologne wafting in the air. "Do you want your room back? When you told me to stay in here, I didn't know—"

"No, don't be silly, it's fine," he reassured as he met her eyes. "I'm gonna stay on the couch… Maybe Damon's bed, if I'm feeling vindictive—"

"Or _brave," _she replied with a small grin. "Who knows what he even does in there—or with _who_—"

"On second thought, the couch sounds _lovely,_" Stefan laughed, as Caroline pulled her knees up to her chest with a smile. "Listen, if you need anything at all while I'm out there, don't hesitate to ask. I mean—even if I'm asleep, it's fine—"

"Okay," Caroline said softly as she looked into his eyes while he neared the door. "I… won't be afraid to ask… Got it."

Stefan smiled gently at that as he bid her a "goodnight" just as he pulled in the door, and Caroline sucked in a large breath as she sat there alone; a million and one thoughts racing through her mind, as she watched him walk away, without another word.

Caroline let out an exhale as she pulled herself beneath the blanket; her bare legs only covered by shorts, as she held it over her chest and stared up at the ceiling—quietly taking in the faint sounds of the city as she attempted to drown them out with her own thoughts.

But something was missing; better yet, _someone._

"Stefan!" Caroline called once—her eyes still fixated on the ceiling, and she listened as the sound of his footsteps approached the bedroom; the door swinging open as he eyed her curiously while she laid down.

She didn't say another word.

"Did you need something?" he asked with furrowed brows, tentatively taking a step closer. "I can get you a drink if you want—"

"_You_," she interrupted as she sat up; her blue eyes glowing in the dark as they met his. "I… want you to stay in here with me, if that's okay," she said with a slight tremble to her voice. "I mean—if it isn't too much trouble, we can just sleep together—I mean… _Wait_—"

She stopped again as she swallowed hard.

_Just what the hell was she saying?_

Stefan didn't say a word and Caroline felt her cheeks turning to the color of cherry red tomatoes as he watched her—_studied her—_as she was sure he thought she was the biggest idiot he knew until surprisingly, he shut the door behind him, took a step forward, and didn't stop until he was on the bed, beside her.

_Less than a hair away as he lay down, too, and Caroline gulped when she felt the heat of his body radiating next to hers; the slight curve of his gentle hands as they pulled her back towards his chest and spooned with her._

She was sure her heart was racing a mile a minute, but then again, so was his.

She slowly but assuredly placed her palms against his hands at her waist and she smiled thankfully when she felt Stefan affectionately place a kiss on the back of her head before she closed her eyes and left herself drift off to the sweet sound of his words and melodic tone of his voice.

"_I knew exactly what you meant," _was all that he said.

**A/N: Hey everyone! So longer chapter than the last one, I hope you all approved of this one! A lot went on, including the beginning, giving us some insight into Klaus and Caroline's relationship, Rebekah and Klaus, Stefan's parents, Damon's help and/or scheming, and finally Stefan and Caroline sharing a deep and sweet moment, after all of the craziness they went through. Thoughts and reviews are very welcome as well as your opinions on actual tv!steroline and what's going on with them. Could it actually be that we're going to be canon soon? Let's hope so! I love every single review I have received on this, you guys are amazing. Thank you so much and until next time! xoxo.**


	6. Who Are You, Really?

**Who Are You, Really?**

"_Mmm,_" Caroline purred softly; her eyes still shut as her head lay against the fluffy pillow and a hint of sunlight grazed softly against her cheeks.

She nestled a bit more tightly—_more comfortably_—into her place in the king size bed, with his arms wrapped around her waist and his forehead pressed firmly to the crook of her neck.

Caroline smiled softly to herself as she breathed—_as he breathed_—and she felt Stefan stir against her skin. He was mumbling softly and tiredly while he still held onto her and Caroline contemplated whether or not she should still pretend as if she were asleep.

This had been a complete 180 for her; because just 24 hours ago, she'd been _running _out of Stefan's bed as if the comforters were on fire when they woke up together in Vegas. But now?

She couldn't think of any place in the world she'd rather be than within his arms.

These toned, tanned, and _trusting _arms that she'd grown to find shelter in since last night, when his mother and father made her feel like the bubonic plague.

_Like a peasant, who had no business being married to their son, even though it wasn't exactly as they had presented it to the Salvatores in the first place because in reality? It was much messier. And it was purely an accident._

But accident or not, it made Caroline feel like a homeless hillbilly, the way Stefan's parents stared at her, as if she was a charity case.

_As if their son was making the biggest mistake of his life with this Southern reject of woman and they needed to save him from his bad decision—and himself—before it was all too late._

In Mystic Falls, Caroline had been the type of girl who could—within reasonable limits—date any man that she wanted. Here? It was like Giuseppe and Mary didn't understand why their precious polo playing son would even touch her with a ten-foot pole.

To them? Caroline was just yet _another _crisis in The Saga of Stefan and she needed to be dealt with, immediately.

To her? She wanted to show them up. She wanted to prove that she could be everything—and more—that they were looking for, for their son, and she wouldn't stop until she beat this.

_Caroline couldn't rest until Mary and Giuseppe were head over heels in love with her because not only would it help Stefan to finally get their approval and judgmental eyes off of his back—and his trust fund back into his hands—but it would help her too. And not purely on the financial front, either._

She could be somebody who was admired, envied, and _empowered._ She could not only shut that pesky ex-boyfriend of hers up forever by seemingly moving on with her life once and for all, but she could also be the Caroline Forbes she'd never believed she could be again— after her own family fell apart and her parents left her with nothing to lean on , rely on, or even show for it.

She wanted to be someone, she realized, as she lay in Stefan's arms; looping the looks of disenchantment in his parent's eyes in her brain, over and over and over again.

She wanted to be a woman who never got those looks ever again—no matter where she went. She wanted to be a woman who was good enough for everyone; up to and including _herself._

_She wanted to be stronger, fiercer, and more fearless—not just the carrying the illusion of such qualities, because she knew it was what the world expected of her. She actually wanted to _be _those things, now and forever._

And if she had to do things Damon's way to get there, then so be it. Damon was an ass but he also seemed like a genius and a master mind if she were honest and if he said he had a plan, she was going to try it.

She just wished she didn't have to be up so early.

Caroline glanced at the clock on the night before she finally began to rise out of Stefan's arms—garnering a disappointed sigh from her cuddle buddy as she felt him shift on the bed behind her; watching her, as she tied her messy curls into a top-bun and placed her toes to the hardwood floor.

She definitely needed to take a shower and wash away the shame that still burrowed beneath her skin, as she tried not to wallow on Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore's words.

_Today was a new day. She was going to treat it as such._

"You're up," Stefan said, as he looked to the clock and back to Caroline's shoulders as she faced away from him, stretching her arms overhead. "And you didn't even need an alarm… It's pretty impressive that you aren't still jet-lagged from the flight."

"Oh, trust me—I am _spent…_But I'm used to just being up early. We can blame that on Elena Gilbert," she said, as-a-matter-of-factly, before glancing over her shoulder. "She's kind of a fitness freak and _somehow, _I'm the one that she's gotten to humor her when it comes to being up at the ass crack of dawn to go jogging… Mostly because she had clinicals at the hospital by nine and I was just…bored," she admitted to which Stefan grinned and Caroline huffed. "My friends are interesting people."

"Or so I've noticed," he nodded, as she slightly remembered that night in Vegas when he met them all and subsequently formed his own opinions.

Rebekah? A little anxious and a _whole _lot of blunt, but amusing nonetheless—even if that douchebag Klaus just so happened to be her older _brother. _Stefan could only hope that the apple fell far from the tree when it came to the two of them…_Very far._

Next? There was Bonnie. Quiet—a bit reserved actually, but likeable—especially because she'd already put his brother in his place multiple times and Stefan lived for women who were completely immune to Damon and his "smoldering-gaze-I-can-rock-your-world" bullshit. Bonnie wasn't beneath any spells and Stefan adored that she'd seen through the older Salvatore faster than a speeding bullet. Knowing his brother, though, it would 1000% mean that the petite librarian would only serve to better pique Damon's interest—just to prove a point— though it was clear Bonnie already _barely _tolerated him.

That would be interesting to watch. He might actually get to witness Damon getting slapped for the third time in his entire life.

And then there was Elena—the friendly brunette with the doe eyes and infectious smile, who reminded him all too well of the woman who'd consumed him and his_ life_ for much more time than he wanted to or was willing to admit.

_Katherine Pierce._

From the chestnut brown hair, to the slender legs that belonged to her elongated frame, Elena held a very strong resemblance to his past love, Katherine and that, quite frankly, rattled the shit out of him. Even though the two weren't related at all, Stefan—unfortunately—saw too much of his ex in her eyes for him to even pretend like he was comfortable being in her presence, though he'd mask his disdain and utter scorn for it very well when she asked him to take a shot with her at the Deadmau5 show.

Elena was a really genuine girl and he just had to remember that she was not _her_; that they probably could have passed for sisters in another life, but in this one, they were two completely different entities.

What he thought about _her _didn't matter anyway because he was "rightfully" married to Caroline Forbes and that was the beginning and ending of that.

And because they were married and he hadn't seen her in years before the entire Vegas fiasco, he wanted to know more about her. He wanted to be able to believably present this woman as his wife and the only way to do that was by engaging in a little Caroline Forbes 101.

It was impossible to assume that she was the same exact girl he'd interned with years ago, because there were things that'd changed about him too, even if it had only been some time between them.

"They mean well," Caroline concluded, as she snapped him out of his thoughts, while she gathered her things for the shower. "They can all be pains in the asses but I love them to death…I wouldn't trade my girls for the world."

"I remember you saying that in D.C," Stefan recalled as he sat up against the pillow. "That your friends were pretty much your life… I don't remember you ever really mentioning your parents, though…Are they still in the picture? Or at least, less _dickheadish_ than mine are?"

Caroline swallowed hard at that before nearing the door much quicker than she'd presumed; never turning around to meet his eyes though she felt his gaze barreling down on her heavily, as the seconds passed.

She hadn't mentioned her parents for a reason—and it was because they were a _mess. _Stefan's may have been Grade-A assholes, but hers positively _garbage_. His parents already hated her because she seemed to be bottom of the barrel—she didn't need to give them anymore reason to roast her once they found out about the people who raised her. Liz hardly passed as anything close to a functioning mother and Bill simply didn't exist in her mind, for as far as she was concerned.

"Ah, ah—not so fast," she changed the subject gracefully when she finally turned around. "You already know about Klaus…and my three best friends; you've even _met _them. If you won't tell me about Katherine, or your friends, _or anything,_ I'm not gonna just keep dishing about _my _life when you aren't doing the same… Fair is fair, pal."

Stefan licked his teeth at that.

She really hoped he couldn't read the pained avoidance that was just beyond her eyes when she thought about just how awful her childhood, teenage years, and adult life had been because of her parents. She guessed she was in the clear when he sighed with a shrug before hopping to his feet and running his fingers through his caramel hair.

_She was beginning to hate just how good he looked in the morning. Especially because she'd convinced herself that their hot night of sex had just been a fluke and it would never happen again, under future—or sober—circumstances, though her mind was already wandering the closer he walked in towards her._

The slower he moved, the faster her heart seemed to race when he looked into her eyes and she was reminded that she was just a girl with a massive crush on a guy who society had deemed "too good for her." Reminded that yes, while she'd had Stefan and his everything for a night before, this was the kind of guy who didn't belong to her—_to girls like her._

He was only in here, waking up beside her in the morning, because she'd foolishly asked him to stay because she knew guys like Stefan couldn't—and didn't—say no.

Not when they felt like they owed you something. Especially not when they pitied and felt bad for you.

But that didn't stop her heart from skipping when he stopped before her knowingly and she was instantly brought back to the thoughts about that crazy night.

_Stefan pressed her chest-first against the wall in his hotel room—his hands tearing through one of his shirts that she had just put on, while his lips kissed her ear from behind and his hands traveled down over her body, without a care in the world. Caroline bit her lip so hard it swelled, as she heard him moan her name against her flaxen hair; his hands firmly grabbing her chest as she felt him hardening through his boxers against her back, for what felt like the twentieth time that night._

_She and Stefan were unable of keeping their hands off of each other. So much so, that a few shirts, condoms, and words exchanged later, they were on the verge of doing it, _again.

_This time, against his wall. And she didn't have any problems at all with that. He'd spent enough time of his back and so had she—if they didn't find another way to do it, they were never going to rest, they were never going to sleep, and Caroline couldn't subsequently remind herself to regret this in the morning._

_On second thought? Maybe they should have just kept going until the dawn._

_Caroline's thoughts were interrupted when Stefan turned her around to meet him—his eyes, specifically—before he pressed his lips deeply against hers and she swallowed his tongue hungrily, while her hands found his face._

_Sucking, licking, biting, tugging—all of the things Caroline loved and appreciated in a kiss—as she gripped his hair strongly and swallowed each of her expletives, just in case Damon had gotten back and he was actually listening to every word that was going on between them._

_Of course he could hear if he was here, she figured. He would hear her yell Stefan's name, mercilessly, as he discovered her, again, with his mouth. He would hear her back slam against the wall, repeatedly, as she tried to control the feeling and waves of sensation bouncing along like fireworks beneath her skin. Damon would hear it all._

_But she didn't care. _

_And she had a feeling Stefan didn't either, as he slipped his fingers into her underwear; his fingers grazing against her so expertly and methodically, that she literally almost lost her balance and had to tighten her arms around his muscled shoulder even more._

Holy hell.

"Caroline, you alright?" he asked and the blonde cleared her throat, releasing her mind from the throws of passion, and nodded quickly when he folded his arms. "Did you… happen to hear what I said?"

"No," she said honestly. "Not exactly," she added. _"Because I was too busy having sex with you again in my brain," _she mentally noted before smiling. "I got…distracted."

"Well… Hopefully you won't be _too _distracted tonight, to go out with me on the town… I want to show you New York, if you're up for it."

"Of course I am," Caroline said almost breathlessly as Stefan smiled and she did her best to remain calm, though she was freaking out on the inside. "I've never been here before, you know."

"I know…And that's why I want to take you to a few of my favorite places…Dinner, maybe—"

"Dinner?" she asked as she met his eyes and he bit his lip when she gazed back. "You sure you wanna be seen doing that with me, when all these crazy photographers are up your family's ass right now?"

"I don't care about them," he replied with folded arms. "I just… want to give you the good ol' Big Apple Experience, minus most of the touristy bullshit—"

"And you want to show your _parents _that you're ignoring everything they said and going against their better judgment by still being involved with _me_; the country girl."

"Caroline, no—"

"Stefan, _yes; _I know exactly what this is and I… I can't be _mad _because it's what I signed up for, right? I'm a part of a plan—"

"But that doesn't mean that's _all _that you are," he said as she pursed her lips and he moved in closer; this time, his hands landing on her shoulders as they looked into each other's eyes. "I want to hang out with you tonight, Caroline—I wanna do something fun. I want _you _to have fun, while you're here…And what kind of host would I be if I didn't show you where I came from at least one of the nights while you were here?"

"Shitty, actually," she said and he smiled warmly as she laughed and shook her head. "Stefan, I'm sorry, okay? I just… It's been a while—a long time, actually—since a guy has been genuinely nice to me without trying to get anything in return."

"Well, you better get used to it," he said with a grin as she followed his eyes and his fingers squeezed her skin softly. "Because you don't owe me anything, Caroline … And I couldn't have asked for a better surprise when I ran into you in Vegas. Really. I… really am happy you're here."

There was silence in between them as Caroline digested that—unable to control the somersault in her stomach that happened purely as a result to his words. It was going to be really hard to pretend like she could do this "friends only thing" when he was being so charming and sweet and _nice._

It was one of the things that had attracted her to Stefan all those years ago in the first place and if she wasn't careful, she'd fall into the grips of it right now.

Caroline tucked a strand behind her ear and Stefan's finger trailed slowly—_gently—_over her arm as his eyes looked into hers and her breath quickened.

She knew she was doing a miserable at pretending like she wasn't affected by this—by _him_—but then again, he was too; as she was sure she saw _something _in his eyes, in this very moment, that didn't scream "let's be friends," though it'd been all that his lips were saying.

_No._

Because right now, she was sure he was thinking about it, too—about the way his lips felt against hers as he pushed her down into his bed and ground his hips to her skin, until the darkest hours of the night.

He was thinking about the way Caroline's kisses latched onto his neck; the way her teeth grazed against his collar just as roughly as her nails and he could do nothing but hold onto her tightly, as the fierce and ferocious blonde staked her claim and went to work.

_As she dubbed him the prey in her hunt._

Stefan offered a look on uncertainty—_hesitation_—as his fingers retracted from her arm and Caroline let out a short breath she'd been holding in, apparently all the while.

"I should…probably shower," she gulped, before her mind added _"Care to join me?_"

She mental pinched herself for the thought.

"You should," he agreed finally; his green eyes following her eyes movement. "Damon will be mad if you're late."

"Yeah," she bit her lip awkwardly with a smile as she nodded. "He… will."

Stefan watched on as Caroline finally yanked the door open and escaped the room—his eyes trailing all along her frame before he shook his head and turned back to the bed where he plopped onto silently before taking the remote in hand.

When he heard the shower running from the bathroom down the hall he let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his head before his eyes began to focus on the movie onscreen.

_Anything to stop thinking about her._

XXXXX

Caroline scrubbed her skin tirelessly, as the water from the shower cascaded onto her face and she breathed in deeply as she shut her eyes.

Her hands brushed over her cheeks before making their way to her mouth and over her chest—her fingers fighting the temptation to touch herself any further as images of Stefan flashed through her mind, and the water pattered over her heart.

"_I wonder what I should have for breakfast," _she thought lamely—and no doubt, as a means to distract herself.

_Anything to stop her from thinking about him. Anything, at all._

XXXXX

"_Caroline Forbes? He's ready to see you, if you'll just kindly follow me."_

Caroline looked up from the issue of _Entertainment Weekly _that was within her hands and cleared her throat with a humble smile. She set the magazine down before hopping to her feet and nervously tugging at the plain white shirt _He _had instructed her to wear over the phone and put on her best smile.

Caroline fidgeted with her fingers as she followed the tiny brunette out of the waiting room and through a corridor where she saw plenty of waif, 5'9 _supermodels _either talking animatedly on their phones as they clutched their portfolios, or—even more intimidatingly—eyed her judgingly as she did her best to keep her eyes forward and her head held high.

Once through the cattle and into what had to be the nicest office shed ever seen in her life, Caroline saw a man with dark brown—almost jet black hair—sitting at a desk and yammering on into his phone, while she waited behind the receptionist until he was finished.

Caroline glanced at him briefly before surveying the room in the modeling agency and trying to keep her jaw intact. There were plaques and frames of pictures elegantly lining the wall, featuring the faces of many celebrities she'd recognized—mostly high fashion models—and the guy in front of her was present in almost every single picture.

When she called the number Damon had given them last night and she was connected directly to whoever this guy was before her, she was told—quickly—an address, what to wear, and what time to show up.

It wasn't until the yellow taxi cab pulled up in front of the modeling agency had she known exactly what Damon got her into.

And right now? She still couldn't say she had any clue, as she watched the man talking and typing busily before finally getting a client off of the phone and mumbling quietly to himself as his eyes locked to the screen of his Mac before he _finally _acknowledged them.

And it was with more of a glare—definitely no hint of welcoming smile.

"Caroline Forbes," the receptionist said shortly before gracefully walking out if the room and shutting the door behind them.

Caroline swallowed hard before offering a smile and extending a hand just over his mahogany desk.

"Hi, I'm—"

"I know," he said quickly, to which Caroline shut her lips and took in a deep breath. "Have a seat, Miss Forbes," his British accent added.

Caroline retracted her hand once he made it clear he wasn't about to shake hers and she took a seat in the plush chair that was in front of her—delicately crossing her legs and folding her hands above her denim jeans.

The man with the accent stared at her—clear scrutiny in his eyes—before grabbing a pen and jotting down a few things. Caroline sighed as she watched him look up every so often and she imagined just how much cuter he _could _have been if he wasn't such a standoffish asshole.

_Then again, could she really expect anything else from contact of Damon's?_

No, definitely not.

"I understand you're a friend of Mr. Salvatore's," he finally said and Caroline snorted softly at that but maintained her smile as her blue eyes connected with his brown.

"I didn't know you guys used the term _friend _so loosely here, in New York," she quipped, much to man's amusement, as she finally cracked a grin. "I _know _Damon; we're…"

"Trust me, doll—I don't need specifics," the man said as she huffed and he tapped the end of his pen to his desk. "Damon gave me a call and asked me for a favor. And seeing as I owe him quite a bit of my dues, I just couldn't say no… The bastard has me by the throat."

"As he likes to have most people," she pointed out before straightening up in her chair. "Who _are _you, exactly? And what am I doing here?"

The man chewed at his lip before rising to his feet and pacing the floor as Caroline watched. He rubbed his scruffy beard as he eyed her again.

"I'm Enzo—Enzo Dierden and I'm the CEO of this modeling agency," he gestured as Caroline's eyes wandered the room again. "_Dierden Elite _happens to be the top modeling agency, here in New York, and we have business from here to the west coast, and all the way out over the sea. California, Paris, London, and even Milan… You name a fashion capital, and we're there," he said as Caroline bit her lip and he stopped beside her chair.

The cushion on this thing probably cost more than here month's _rent._

"So, Damon blackmailed one of his fancy client friends into doing what for me, exactly? I don't have any aspirations to be a model. I blog and I bartend—that's what I know."

"That's absolutely fine, Miss Forbes—many of our girls do this as a hobby; a side job that pays for what they need or gets them where they need to go…. Granted, the ones who take it more _seriously _as a career make more money and book more gigs…But you're not here because I want you to walk a runway, Caroline."

"Then what am I here for?"

"You're here because your dear Damon wants you to learn a little bit of _grace. _He wants me to work with you on your fashion—your hair, your makeup—"

"What?" Caroline asked as she folded her arms over her chest and her eyes widened. "I'm sorry but is this _Pretty Woman?"_

"More like _Cinderella," _Enzo muttered as he walked towards her and ran his fingers through her hair. "Just how often do you use a deep conditioner, love? And when was the last time you treated these roots?"

"You have to be kidding me," Caroline muttered beneath her breath as she watched Enzo skip to his intercom and furiously call on his assistant Cassandra to come back into his office, while he eyed Caroline all the while.

She self-consciously brushed her fingers through her hair.

"I like my hair," she said stubbornly. "I don't want to change it."

"Donald Trump loves his too, but that doesn't mean it looks _good, _my dear," he grinned and Caroline scoffed. "We're just going to give you a few highlights, alright? Don't throw a fit."

"I'm not completely _graceless _or blind to fashion, you know," she said as his assistant walked through the door with a tape measure and instantly pulled Caroline to her feet as Enzo watched on. "I read _Vogue_, sometimes—and I watch America's Next Top Model… Oh! And I own a pair of Louboutin heels… and they're _real_," Caroline noted as Cassandra sized her around the waist. "I may not be the _most _fashion forward, but—"

"Isa Arfen, Stella Jean, Piazza Sempione," Enzo said as Caroline's eyes narrowed and he held up three fingers. "When you can name a high-fashion designer you enjoy who's name sounds foreign to the everyday tongue, perhaps I'll consider our work here done… But until then…We have a lot to work through."

Caroline sighed as Cassandra snapped the tape measurer shut and the man clapped his hands definitively as he looked into her eyes. And the look he was giving her right now let her know that he meant only business.

"Are you ready for your transformation, Miss Forbes? I was thinking with those highlights first."

XXXXX

Stefan stared out from the window of the window of the room at New York Presbyterian Hospital and he sighed before turning back to his grandmother and offering a nervous smile.

Even though the woman had still been asleep, he felt a gentle comfort in coming here—even if it was just to watch her—for a few minutes—_if not hours_—on end.

This time? Three hours, he realized as his eyes glanced over to the clock and he made his way back to the seat just beside her; her steady breathing fill the sounds of quiet in the room and helping him to feel a little less anxious as it reminded her that she was okay.

"_It was just an asthma attack,_" he repeated into his head as he took her hand into his and smiled. "You're gonna be okay," Stefan said aloud before kissing her knuckles and massaging her skin with his thumbs. "If my Dad is good for anything, it's hiring the best doctors," Stefan reassured, as his breath got caught in his throat.

_The same doctors that his parents threw him to, the second his well-being started to become a problem for them and their fortune. _

"You're fine," Stefan nodded as he felt his chest tighten and his lip begin to tremble. _"You're in great hands. Everything is fine."_

Or at least he would just keep telling himself that.

XXXXX

"I think I am _severely _overdressed," Caroline noted, as she walked behind Stefan into a dive bar on the Lower East Side—the heels Enzo sent her home in throbbing on her feet, as her tight navy dress hugged her curves, and her freshly-dyed honey blonde hair bounced on her shoulders as she moved.

"Trust me, Care—nobody cares, here," he said as they slid into a booth and the girl sighed smoothly when she glanced around and saw no one giving her evil eyes or dirty looks for showing up to this place like she was in the running for Miss USA. "Besides… I think you look nice."

Caroline's head whipped around at that as she looked into his eyes and Stefan smiled gently before pulling a drink menu out of the place holder and examining it completely.

"I… looked nice for the _last _place we went to," she noted, as she thought back to the trendy restaurant they'd gone to Uptown, where they had wine and she'd actually ordered _duck. _

Despite her initial apprehension to get anything more than an appetizer when she looked at the prices on the menu, Stefan urged her it was okay and that he wasn't going to go broke over it.

And after her day with Enzo that consisted of a hair appointment, makeup workshop and wardrobe overhaul, she was going to need more than a plate of bruschetta to gain back all the energy he'd stolen and then some.

She'd realized, though, that all the trouble was definitely worth it, as Stefan stopped mid-sentence the second she walked back into Damon's penthouse and he could do nothing to tear his eyes away from her as she stared at him carefully before cracking a joke about being blond_er, _or something.

Caroline had no clue what she aid and Stefan barely did, either as she moved past him to the bedroom and he still stood there quietly; gathering his thoughts and trying to collect his thoughts long enough to let her know their reservation was for 7PM and she should probably get ready.

"Is this how you fish for compliments?" he joked after he put in their drink order and the waitress walked away. Caroline bit back a grin when he smiled when she noted the easy light in his eyes.

"I don't know, Stefan—is this how you go about making me feel like I'm the prettiest girl in the room? By taking me to a bar where my inches are 6 inches and everyone else's are _two?"_

"We don't have to stay if you feel uncomfortable," he said, when the waitress placed their drinks before them and he watched Caroline reach in. "There's…actually something interesting going on tonight—if you're into it. My friends, Lexi and Marcel—"

"You have _friends?_" she gasped sarcastically, and when Stefan tossed the wrapper to his straw at her, Caroline smiled brightly when he brought his drink to his lips and she swallowed down a sip before placing hers down. "I'm kidding—go on."

"My _friends, _Lexi and Marcel, are having a wine night—_if _you'd like to go… Marcel's dad is this huge wine mogul out on Long Island and I know it's last minute but—"

"Of course I'd love to go," Caroline said as she watched Stefan's smile spread to his cheeks before meeting his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I don't know—I thought it seemed like I was rushing things," he said as she rolled her eyes. "I didn't wanna move too fast—"

"Stefan—we're _married,_" Caroline noted as she waved her hand and looked into the man's eyes as he let out a deep breath and ticked his jaw. "We're far past the stage of _rushing things. _Besides— I'm never gonna win your parents over if I don't step out of _my _world and into yours," she said before taking a sip of her drink. "What better way to show them I mean business than to infiltrate your circle?"

"It's a very small circle," he corrected. "Lexi Branson, Marcel Gerard, Josh Rosza and Sophie Deveraux…that's it; those are my friends. The only ones I've ever had."

"All the _less _people to win over, then," Caroline smirked as she downed the rest of her drink and hopped to her feet. "Let's go—I'm dying to be educated in _Stefan 101._ Do your friends know about our little mishap in Las Vegas?"

"Absolutely not and let's keep it that way. I trust them but not the people who will most likely be around when we tell them any stories."

"Lips sealed, it is," Caroline said as he paid the ball and they began to walk out. _"Are we taking a cab or the subway?"_

XXXXX

"So then I _told _Stefan—_'Listen: if you're attempt to heat up that five day old burrito and have it for lunch, the least you could do is take it out of the foil—I have insurance, but even the best in the world won't cover a dumbass move like that."_

"Marcel—you will never let me live that down, will you?" Stefan smiled and his friend gave him a pat on the back with a smile and a shake of the head, signifying that it was a losing battle and Stefan had indeed _lost._

"Not a chance—I'm taking that one all the way to the grave."

"What are friends for, right?" Stefan winked as the two clinked drinks and Caroline smiled whole-heartedly as they stood in the living room to Lexi and Marcel's apartment.

She had been listening to his best friends gush about all the stupid and silly things they—_or Stefan_—had done in particular, over the years, and she couldn't help but smile when she realized this relaxed and reserved version of Stefan—even the Stefan she'd known in D.C—had a bit of a wild streak to him. The sweet and calm guy that he seemed to be much of the time was just the tip of the iceberg and Caroline couldn't wait to know more as the night went; that was, if she wasn't too drunk to remember any of it by the time they left.

With a glass of Mr. Gerard's finest pinot in hand and their host and hostess filling up their glasses every time they dwindled, it was pretty safe to say Caroline was bombed and it wasn't even 10:30 yet.

The EDM music blasting through the loft and the crowds of people talking, laughing, and having fun was enough to make her feel good but then every time her eyes casted over to Stefan—who was now being pinched at the cheeks by Lexi as she teased him for that mushroom haircut he had in the ninth grade—she felt even better.

Stefan's friends—Lexi, Marcel, Josh, and Sophie—were nothing like his parents and she could only whisper a silent praise as they welcomed her happily when Stefan broke the news that they were married and it had happened in Hawaii—just like Caroline told Klaus—instead of the Vegas quickie story that he knew would have garnered much deeper sighs and looks of regret.

If he could get his friends to believe in this, maybe his parents would too, and they would finally get off of his back. Besides—Caroline had already become a pro at dishing out all the faux Hawaii wedding details; as she gushed on about everything from the ocean, to the color of the sand to the flowers.

It was enough to trick his friends into believing it and their enthusiastic _congratulations! _followed by shots was all that he could have asked for.

He would eventually tell them the truth—Lexi, especially—but not tonight. Tonight, Caroline was his destined wife and he was her husband and the truth was better left buried where no one—especially not his parents could find it—even if every river in the world had run dry.

"You two are adorable," Lexi noted with a pout as she watched Caroline shift towards Stefan for good measure while he took hold of her hand. "I'm just upset you didn't tell us about it sooner—I would have definitely flown to Hawaii.

"Much better than that Hollywood shindig thing Katherine wanted—" Sophie stopped when she saw Stefan look to the ground and Caroline purse her lips as she smiled politely. "Oh _wow_—you know I'm drunk when I start talking about… her. I'm gonna go get some water and slap myself on the hand for that."

Caroline watched on as Sophie excused herself and the rest of Stefan's friends smiled brightly—awkwardly—as they each tried to pretend the K word hadn't been mentioned though Caroline had a feeling this was what Stefan didn't wanna let out of the bag.

_The fact that he'd almost married someone else._

"She's sorry about that," immediately jumped in as he bounced back and forth between Stefan and Caroline's eyes. "I mean—_you know_; Katherine was her friend, too… She was… close with all of us."

"Unfortunately," Stefan replied.

"Stef, man—"Marcel started as he looked into his eyes. "I know it's been harder for you but—"

"But nothing," Stefan cut him off and Marcel pressed his lips shut. "If you all still wanna worship the ground my ex walks on, then be my guest—but I won't, anymore. I can't."

"Just because we want peace on the East Side doesn't mean we're _choosing _her, Stefan," Josh stated. "We just… it's hard for us to _hate her _when you never gave us a reason to…when you never gave us a reason to…You won't tell us why we should."

"I shouldn't need a reason," Stefan nearly raised his voice but stopped himself when he noticed the clear concern in Caroline's eyes before he shrugged a shoulder. The mood between the friends shifted dramatically as it became more than clear that Stefan's ex-girlfriend—or _fiancé_—was still a means for division. And right now? Caroline still had no idea why. "Listen, I'm gonna go to the bathroom—"

He stopped when the door to the loft opened and he saw her; the 5'7 brunette, with the long curls and black lashes as her eyes met his almost instantly and Stefan swallowed hard as the people by the door greeted her.

_Embraced her, as if she'd known them all for years, though he was sure it was just seconds and they were already her puppets._

Just like his friends had been; just like _he _had been.

"Lexi, Marcel—"he started. "What the hell is she doing here?"

"I sent out a mass text," Marcel confessed as Stefan shook his head and Katherine's eyes remained locked on his; amusement dancing behind her gaze as she stared him down unashamedly. "It went to everyone."

"That and we didn't know you were coming, Stefan. I'm sorry—" Lexi said apologetically though it was too late, as Stefan let out a short scoff before downing the rest of his beer, turning on his heel, and walking out of the room.

Caroline stood there frozen for a second—eyeing his friend silently—before she finally took off after him. She felt Katherine's eyes follow her the entire way and for the first time in her life, she didn't want the attention.

_She didn't want anything that Katherine Pierce happened to be selling._

As Caroline walked into the kitchen and saw Stefan holding a freshly opened bottle of Jack to his lips, she could only be left to wonder just what the hell it was that she'd gotten into. And if she'd be able to get out of it, with Stefan Salvatore and her marriage intact.

**A/N; THANK YOU all for your continued reviews on this story—it means so much to me! I hope you enjoyed the sterocuddle in the beginning of the chapter, complete with some memories before Caroline had to go take a cold shower. Do you think the attraction is all in her head or is Stefan into too but just not as willing to show his cards? HMMM. How about Enzo and finally the introduction of Stefan's friends who seemingly are still friends with Katherine, even after whatever went on between them? Lastly—Katherine showing up, what do you think will happen? As always, I appreciate all of your kind words. R&R and until next time! xoxo**


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